STORY 
-BIBLE 



MARGARET 
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THE STORY BIBLE 



BY 

MARGARET E. SANGSTER 



ILLUSTRATED BY 
THE DECORATIVE DESIGNERS 



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NEW YORK 

MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY 

1905 



3BS5-57 

■Sz£~ 



• 1905 

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COPY g. 



Copyright, 1905, by 

MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY 

NEW YORK 

Published October, IQOS 



i. F. TAPLEY CO. 

BOOK MANUFACTURERS 

NEW YORK 



To one whose unobtrusive goodness 

strews flowers on many paths, 

HELEN MILLER GOULD, 

I dedicate this book with affectionate regard. 



FOREWORD 

IN writing the Story Bible it has been my 
aim so to tell again the tales from Holy 
Writ familiar through the centuries, that our 
children of to-day may read and love them. 
The Bible is a treasury of stories, vivid, dra- 
matic and full of charm. Each story has a 
hero or a heroine whose name is a household 
word, whose feats of valor or sacrifices of love 
stimulate us, as they have stimulated those 
who have gone before, to live noble lives; to 
do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before 
God. I have disengaged each story from sur- 
rounding passages which treat of other affairs 
so that the story itself may stand out alone, 
like a gem or a picture. I have arranged the 
stories in their accustomed Biblical sequence 
so that they follow the order of the books in 
the Old and New Testaments and may later 
introduce their readers to the Bible in what- 
ever version they prefer. These stories have 
been written with great simplicity that moth- 



ers may read them to little children, and older 
children read them, with pleasure, as they 
would read a favorite story book. 

People who fancy that children do not en- 
joy good literature are mistaken. Much de- 
pends on the early choice for them of what is 
best. Give a child the best and he will not be 
contented with the worst. The child delights 
in brave deeds, in romance, in chivalry, in 
splendid diction and poetic style. Imaginative 
literature fascinates children. They cannot 
have too much of it, from the fairy and folk 
lore of every nation to the beautiful truth lore 
scattered for them over the pages of our Eng- 
lish Bible. Any group of listening children 
will hang eagerly on the story of Noah, of 
Abraham, of Joseph, of David, of Daniel and 
of the Child who came to earth in the full- 
ness of time, when the Star led the way to the 
Manger. All these wondrous tales and many 
more stories are in this volume. I hope it may 
find its way wherever children meet around 
the hearth, and that mothers may accept its 
help in the training of their little ones. 

For Sunday afternoons and daily reading, 
and for quiet hours with father and mother, 
the Story Bible will ■ prove a standby, the 



melody of its pages drawn from the one Book 
that never goes out of fashion and never fails 
to carry a heavenly message to old and young. 

MARGARET E. SANGSTER. 



CONTENTS 

Page 

XXXI. Ruth and Naomi 231 

XXXII. The Child Samuel 243 

XXXIII. The Return of the Ark 251 

XXXIV. The First King 256 

XXXV. The Wars of Saul 266 

XXXVI. David and Goliath 274 

XXXVII. A Forest Chieftain 284 

XXXVIII. The Wise Choice 297 

XXXIX. The Story of Elijah 304 

XL. Elisha the Prophet 315 

XLI. The Little Captive Maid 322 

XLII. The King's Cup Bearer 330 

XLIII. Queen Esther 335 

XLIV. The Most Patient of Men 353 

XLV. In the Fiery Furnace 357 

XLVI. The Writing on the Wall 367 

XLVII. Daniel in the Lions' Den 372 

XLVIII. The Strange Passenger 381 

XLIX. The Coming of the Christ-Child 391 

L. Wonderful Deeds of Jesus 406 

LI. Other Kind and Loving Acts 416 

LII. Hosanna in the Highest 432 

LIII. On the Way to the Cross 437 

LIV. The Green Hill Far Away 445 

LV. The First Easter . 450 

LVI. The Beautiful Gate 460 

LVII. Ananias and Sapphira 464 

LVIII. The First Martyr 468 

LXIX. The Road to Damascus 47* 

LX. Peter Delivered 476 

LXI. A Storm and Wreck 481 

LXII. A Vision of Heaven 486 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Suffer Little Children Frontispiece 

With Olive Leaf 48 

The Angel Dream 92 ^ 

Joseph in Power 144 

The Babe Wept 170 

Go Forward 190 

Ruth the Gleaner 236 

David and Goliath 280 / 

Fear Not, Esther 346 

His Father's Business 398 

Rise and Walk 460 

Who Art Thou, Lord? 472 



THE STORY BIBLE 



THE STORY OF CREATION 

ALONG, long time ago, so very long ago 
that a child cannot count the years and 
the oldest man on earth does not know their 
number, it came to pass that God made this 
world. In the beginning He created the 
heavens and the earth. Before this beginning, 
whenever it was, there was no blue sky, there 
was no deep sea, there was neither sun nor 
moon. Where this planet on which now we 
live goes around the great sun there was only a 
vast, empty space, or perhaps a great lone- 
some mist, called chaos, all strange, confused 
and dim. 

Out of this chaos God created the heavens 
and the earth. To create is to make something 
and put it where there used to be nothing. 

IS 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Only God can do this. God looked on the 
vast, dark, misty space, and His Spirit moved 
over it, over the face of the dark waters that 
seemed fast asleep, over the face of chaos. 

And then He did the most wonderful thing 
that even God could do. He spoke one word, 
gave one command, and the darkness lifted 
like a curtain that is rolled up and disappears. 
He said, Let there be light, and there was 
light. Not gradually, but suddenly, in a quick 
flash, in an instant, the light chased away the 
darkness when God called it and bade it come. 
Light travels faster than almost anything in 
the universe. It travels as fast as thought. 
You can think, dear child, as fast as a sun- 
beam flies, but nothing outside of you can go 
through the air with the speed of the morning 
light. 

God saw the light, and it was good. So He 
divided it and made one part Day, which is the 
part in which we play and work, and another 
part Night, which is the part in which we 
sleep and rest. 

Next, God made the firmament. Look up 
and you can see it now. Sometimes white 

16 



THE STORY OF CREATION 

clouds sail over it like birds. Sometimes black 
clouds hang low beneath it, and down from 
them pours the heavy rain or floats the fleecy 
snow. Clouds are full of vapor and vapor 
makes rain. The firmament is up yonder. 
Down below it is the ocean and running into 
the ocean are the rivers, little and big, carry- 
ing their cups of water. The ocean has tides 
that ebb and flow and the sky is always 
watching the tides. The ocean sends up mists 
and the sky sends down rain, and sky and 
ocean love one another to-day just as they 
have loved ever since God gave one its work 
to do here and the other its work to do there. 
God called the firmament Heaven, and when 
He had made borders and banks for the sea, 
He called the dry land Earth. 

Next, He covered the land with green wav- 
ing grass and lovely green herbs and beauti- 
ful trees, some for shelter and some for fruit. 
Every orchard where the blossoms scent the 
spring air, every clump of trees that gives a 
pleasant shade, carries our thoughts straight 
back to the Creation and the goodness of God 
Who was the first great Gardener. The trees 

17 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and the grass were made to bear seed so that 
they would keep on making the dry land beau- 
tiful forever. 

Then, dear child, God, being pleased with 
the green earth, and the sky and the sea, made 
other lovely things. Do you know 

"Twinkle, twinkle little star, 
How I wonder what you are, 
Up above the world so high, 
Like a diamond in the sky"? 

Certainly you do. Every child learns to re- 
peat this stanza. Well, God made those 
twinkling stars, and put them where they 
shine. They are so glad to be there that they 
cannot help shining, each in its own place. 
They light the sky with their lamps, North, 
South, East and West. They keep guard over 
your little bed at night. You cannot see them 
when the sun rises; but they are there, shin- 
ing, just the same; and when night falls out 
they come, one by one, till there are millions 
of them, looking down with radiant eyes. 
God made the sun which is like a great chariot 
of fire and He made the silver moon that burns 

18 



THE STORY OF CREATION 

with a softer, tenderer light. The sun by day, 
the moon by night. In the long ages since 
they were made they have never stopped burn- 
ing by day and by night, but they are never 
tired, nor dull. They keep on shining as God 
told them to shine. 

The earth, being now quite ready for in- 
habitants, like a house all furnished and wait- 
ing for people to move in, God made birds to 
fly, and fish to swim, and beasts to walk about, 
and tiny, tiny insects and great ones too, so 
that the earth was full of glad, living crea- 
tures, all happy and fearless; and the waters 
were full of fish, great and small; and through 
the air went birds, singing and soaring and 
hurrying to make nests of their own in the 
rocks and the tree tops. God saw all these 
and was pleased with them and gave them 
His blessing. 

But there was yet another thing He needed 
to do. In this big House of Life that He had 
made there was nobody to rule, nobody to be 
overseer for God. The birds and beasts would 
soon have felt as children do when they have 
nobody to whom they may run home at night 

19 



THE STORY BIBLE 

if God had not created some one better than 
they, somebody wiser, who might love them 
and give them names and be their friend. 

He made the beasts and the birds, the stars 
and the sun and the moon, by a word of com- 
mand. But Man was to be a son of God, to 
have some of God's power in him, to live in the 
House of Life with the life of God his Father 
in his nature. 

So God breathed into man the breath of life, 
and made him a living soul; made him in His 
own image. He made both man and woman, 
to be a king and a queen in the great new 
House of Life, to take care of everything, to 
enjoy everything, to be perfectly happy all day 
long, and never afraid of anything night or 
day. 

All this work took six days; not six little 
days of twenty-four hours each, but six divine 
days, each one of which may have been as 
long or as short as God chose to have it. 

Then, on the seventh day, or period, God 
rested. When God rested He gave us then 
and there the sweet and gracious thought of 
one day in every seven when we too may rest. 

20 



THE STORY OF CREATION 

The Sabbath, which some people call the 
Lord's Day and some Sunday, is another beau- 
tiful thing, a gift of God that began to be ours 
when God made the world. 

A very beautiful poem was written by 
Joseph Addison in the year 1712. I learned 
to repeat it when I was seven years old. You 
often hear it sung as an anthem in church. I 
should not be surprised if you would like to 
learn it, and so I am inserting the poem before 
we go to the next chapter: 



The spacious firmament on high, 
With all the blue ethereal sky, 
And spangled heavens, a shining frame, 
Their great Original proclaim. 
The unwearied sun, from day to day, 
Does his Creator's power display, 
And publishes to every land 
The work of an Almighty Hand. 



Soon as the evening shades prevail, 
The moon takes up the wondrous tale, 
And nightly to the listening earth 
Repeats the story of her birth; 

21 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Whilst all the stars that round her burn, 
And all the planets in their turn, 
Confirm the tidings as they roll, 
And spread the truth from pole to pole. 

What though in solemn silence all 
Move round this dark terrestrial ball; 
What though no real voice nor sound 
Amidst their radiant orbs be found; 
In reason's ear they all rejoice, 
And utter forth a glorious voice; 
Forever singing, as they shine, 
"The Hand that made us is divine." 



22 



II 

THE GARDEN OF EDEN 

TVyHEN the world was finished and every 
VV bit of it in order, God made, in the 
very heart of it, a garden just like the gardens 
that the angels tend in the great world we 
cannot see, the world where God lives beyond 
this earth. 

This garden was called Eden. It had in it 
every sweetest rose that ever bloomed and 
every flower that grew in heaven was trans- 
planted there. No garden has ever been so 
beautiful as the Garden of Eden, though all 
our gardens in their summer brightness look 
something like it. A June day, when the 
daisies laugh in the sun and the rosebuds un- 
fold, must be a little bit left us from Eden. 
At least it does no harm to fancy so. 

You see it was Earth's very first garden, 
and JEHOVAH was its Gardener. Four 

23 



THE STORY BIBLE 

rivers were around it, and in the midst of it 
grew trees of every sort, and from their 
boughs hung most delicious fruit. 

You may dream of such a garden some 
night when you are asleep, for the angels 
bring sweet dreams to happy children. But 
none of us, when waking, shall ever see a 
garden quite so fair as Eden was. 

In this garden God placed the first Man 
and the first woman, Adam and Eve. God 
told Adam that his part would be to dress and 
keep the garden; Eve was to help him, and 
both were to do whatever they wished, eat its 
fruit, pluck the flowers, go where they chose, 
and be without any hard labor, because the 
ground did not need digging and there were 
no weeds, and the fruit and the flowers were 
to mean, not trouble to Adam and Eve, but 
just pleasure. 

There was one thing they were told not to 
do. Only one thing. 

In the middle of the garden there was a 
beautiful tree that God told them never to 
touch. He did not tell them why they must 
not touch it. He simply said, Go where you 

24 



THE GARDEN OF EDEN 

like, do what you will, but that Tree is My 
tree. Let it alone. 

So parents often tell children not to do 
something, yet do not tell them why not. 

Hundreds of trees were in every direction. 
Fruits sweet as honey, nuts, spices and balm, 
and oh ! so many vines and flowers ! And just 
a single tree that must be left alone. 

My child, were you ever put in a room and 
told that you might go into every corner but 
that one spot in the middle you must not 
cross? If you were, you know how Adam felt, 
how Eve exclaimed. Eve had more curiosity 
than Adam. She began to long that she might 
taste the fruit of that forbidden tree. She 
longed and longed and looked and looked. As 
often as she went to walk, she found her feet 
stepping toward the Tree that was called the 
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 
Close by this tree was another called the Tree 
of Life, but Eve did not think much about this, 
and so she did not want to taste its golden 
fruit. Nothing had been said to either of them 
about the Tree of Life; only the other tree 
near it was forbidden them. 

25 



THE STORY BIBLE 

You must know that in those days of the 
Garden of Eden the beasts and birds could 
speak quite plainly, so that Adam and Eve 
knew what they said. After awhile, they lost 
this power of speech, but they had it then. It 
was later that an enchantment called Sin stole 
in and spoiled everything and even laid its 
wicked spell on the beasts. 

So when a serpent, shining and silvery, one 
morning lifted his glittering crested head and 
said very softly to Eve, Pray tell me what ails 
you, and why are you so sad? she was not 
frightened or surprised. 

Has not God told you that you may eat 
whatever you want in this garden? softly 
asked the serpent. 

Yes, said Eve, except one tree, and that is 
the one I desire more than everything else. 
But if we eat of that tree we shall die. I 
don't know what that means, to die, but it 
must be something terrible. God Himself told 
Adam this. God often walks in the Garden 
in the cool of the day and talks with Adam 
and me. 

Eve looked very wistful. Her eyes were 

26 



THE GARDEN OF EDEN 

bright but tears stood in them. Tears, though 
she was in Eden's Garden! 

Now the serpent was really a wicked angel 
who had taken this shape, a bitter enemy of 
God, and an enemy of both Eve and her hus- 
band Adam. He looked steadily at her, fix- 
ing her gaze, and then said: 

How can you be so foolish? You did not 
understand. 

The fiend in the serpent's shape glided close 
to Eve and the music of his voice was like a 
harp note in the breeze. 

Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know 
that, in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes 
shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, know- 
ing good and evil. 

What a pity Eve listened. But she did. The 
Bible says: 

And when the woman saw that the tree was 
good for food and that it was pleasant to the 
eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise, 
she took the fruit thereof and did eat; and 
gave also unto her husband with her and he 
did eat. 

It was natural that Eve should first taste 
27 



THE STORY BIBLE 

the fruit, find it very nice, and give some to 
Adam. He did not object to tasting it, but 
afterward, a thing I never liked in Adam, he 
tried to excuse himself, when God reproved 
him, by saying: The woman Whom Thou 
gavest me, she gave me of the tree, and I did 
eat. 

This was mean and cowardly in Adam, to 
put the blame on poor Eve. I suppose he did 
not think how mean this was. 

If you have ever done a thing you knew was 
wrong, disobeyed your father on purpose, 
gone where your mother told you not to, or 
in any way have been wilfully naughty, you 
have stirred up a sleeping sense inside you, a 
sense of right and wrong, that we call Con- 
science. 

Conscience is a kind of policeman and when 
he gets hold of one, there is sure to be trouble. 
One feels like a prisoner at the bar. A dread- 
ful feeling, a feeling of shame settles down on 
one, just like a weight. A little sister or a 
little brother, it makes no matter who it is, 
who has done what he knew or she knew was 
forbidden, is ashamed and wants to hide. No- 

28 



THE GARDEN OF EDEN 

body may suspect that you are the culprit, 
but you know it; for you have eaten of the 
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and you 
have brought into the garden of your soul a 
blight the name of which is Sin. 

This is what happened to Adam and Eve. 
They hid away from God for they felt naked 
and ashamed. Their innocence was gone. 
Then Adam meanly blamed poor Eve. Soon 
they had to go out of Eden into a different 
world. They had to work hard and the beasts 
began to be afraid of them. Eden was spoiled 
and they could not stay there. Nobody can 
stay in a happy place, when Conscience drives 
them out, because they have sinned. 

As for the serpent, people hate him to this 
day. 



29 



Ill 

ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL 

ADAM and Eve were like lost children 
when they left Eden. They knew not 
where to go. They had to go, and they went 
into a strange world. They felt very lonely 
and sad when Eden lay behind them. But they 
could not go back, for in the gates of Eden 
there stood a bright angel with a flaming 
sword, an angel sent to keep them from eat- 
ing of that other tree, the Tree of Life. 

They went out hand in hand, dressed in 
coats of skin, into a world where they should 
find cold and storm and frost and heat, and 
many things they had known nothing of while 
they lived in the beautiful garden. But one 
happy thing that belonged to Eden they took 
with them when they left it, and that thing 
was love. People who have true love can 
stand a good deal of trouble and worry, and I 
have no doubt that Adam and Eve found 
plenty to interest and comfort them in their 

3° 



ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL 

new sphere. God did not mean them to be 
miserable all the time. 

They were something like Robinson Crusoe 
on his desert island, except that they did not 
know half so much as he did. God had told 
Eve that she would have a great deal of sor- 
row and hardship and pain, but He told her 
something else that made her strong enough 
to bear any pain, just as her daughters have 
been ever since. She was to be the mother 
of the race, and no mother is ever sad all the 
time, because her children make her happy. 

Adam knew that he would have to till the 
ground and that it would not be easy any more 
because the ground would not go on yield- 
ing fruit gladly, as it did in Eden's Garden, 
but would have to be cultivated by the labor 
of man. Adam had to fashion spades and 
rakes and hoes, and to gather seeds and plant 
them, and to fight a battle with weeds and 
pests ; many a time he had anxious nights and 
weary days, just as every farmer has. But 
when the crops came, and his little gardens 
grew bright with flowers, and the young 
lambs fed in the green pastures, Adam felt 

3i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

consoled and gave thanks to God. The curse 
was like a black cloud that has sunshine break- 
ing through it. 

God had not made his lot so hard that Adam 
could not bear it, although He had driven him 
forth from Eden. Sometimes at sunset, and 
in the early morning, there came breezes so 
fragrant and music so sweet across the fields, 
that Adam and Eve clung together and wor- 
shipped God and said: Surely, this joy has 
come to us from the Eden of which we were 
not worthy. 

Eve had to learn every sort of womanly art, 
to find sharp thorns and fibre from which she 
made thread, and leaves and grasses, so that 
she could weave and sew. 

I knew a little girl who had to work on her 
sampler every morning when she wanted to go 
out and play, and once she said, "O how I 
blame Eve when I have to sew! She was the 
one who did it first." Poor Eve, to have to 
bear this blame! 

I suppose Eve learned how to cook and how 
to keep house in the little home she and Adam 
had, for, though outside of Eden, they began 

32 



ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL 

something very sweet that we have had in all 
the ages, a home in which live those who love 
one another. Their home might be in a cave, 
or in a tent, but it was their home. 

Over their home and their love, alas, there 
always hung a shadow. This shadow slipped 
in beside them when they were happiest, and 
went with them when they walked the fields, 
and tended the young lambs. It was the 
Shadow of the Fear of Death. They did not 
know what it meant, but they were afraid of 
it, and they knew that some day it would come 
closer and they would have to meet it. The 
truth was that they had begun to die from the 
day they had begun to sin, but this is some- 
thing far too puzzling for children to under- 
stand, and you need not worry your little 
heads about it. Worse things than death are 
in this world, and when you grow old enough, 
you will know that death is not a thing to be 
afraid of, because it opens the door to the hap- 
piest life of all, the life that never ends. 

You see Eve and Adam did not then know 
this, nor for a long time after, so they were 
often afraid. 

33 



THE STORY BIBLE 

One morning there was a little newcomer 
in their home, a beautiful rosy babe whom Eve 
called Cain. I have gotten a man from the 
Lord, she said, a son who was to be her pride 
and joy. After awhile God gave her another 
son, and she named him Abel. These little 
brothers grew up and helped their father. 
Abel was a gentle shepherd who loved to be 
with the lambs and sheep. Cain preferred to 
work in the ground and raise grain and fruit. 
Many years passed by. These two sons of 
Adam and Eve, who had played together and 
worked together, at last had a quarrel. 

This is the way we are told about it in the 
Book of Genesis: 

In process of time, it came to pass that Cain 
brought of the fruit of the ground an offering 
unto the Lord. 

And Abel he also brought of the firstlings 
of his flock, and of the fat thereof. 

And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to 
his offering, but unto Cain and his offering, 
he had not respect. 

And Cain was very wroth, and his counte- 
nance fell. 

34 



ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL 

And the Lord said unto Cain: Why art thou 
wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen? 
If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted? 
And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the 
door. 

That the Lord accepted Abel's offering and 
rejected Cain's, I suppose was because of 
something He saw in their hearts. It may 
have been that Cain was too proud and 
haughty, while Abel brought his gifts with a 
humble heart. However that may be, Cain 
went away very angry, and the more he 
thought about it, the more angry he grew, un- 
til he fairly hated the innocent Abel. They 
had words together, hot and angry words, 
and the end of the matter was that Cain rose 
up against his brother and slew him. One 
fierce blow, and Abel lay on the ground white 
and bleeding. Cain, awed and dismayed, 
stood surveying what he had done. 

Abel, Abel, he called. But Abel did not 
answer. He was dead. So death came into 
the world, and the first one who died was mur- 
dered by a brother's hand. The first death 
was not by nature but by envy and malice. 

35 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Adam and Eve now knew what was meant 
by death. As for Cain, God spoke to him 
by that same voice in the heart which we call 
Conscience. He tried to put a bold face on the 
matter, and brazen it out, but it was of no use. 

Where is Abel thy brother? said the 
Lord. 

And he said, I know not. Am I my 
brother's keeper? 

And God said, What hast thou done? The 
voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me 
from the ground. 

And now art thou cursed from the earth 
which hath opened her mouth to receive thy 
brother's blood from thy hand. 

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not 
henceforth yield unto thee her strength. A 
fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the 
earth. 

And Cain said unto the Lord: My punish- 
ment is greater than I can bear. Behold thou 
hast driven me out this day from the face of 
the earth: and from thy face shall I be hid, 
and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in 
the earth. And it shall come to pass that 

36 



ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL 

every one that findeth me shall slay me. Cain 
was in despair. 

I have quoted this just as it is written in the 
Book because you can understand it, although 
some of the words are rather long. 

To a man like Cain, who loved the ground 
and cared for the farm, it was a dreadful pun- 
ishment to have to wander over the earth, to 
become a tramp going from place to place, 
afraid that some avenger of blood would kill 
him. But the Lord did not let anyone kill 
Cain. He put on him a mark, so that those 
who saw him went on their way and did not 
molest him. But his life was far sadder than 
that of Abel, his brother, who simply had to 
die in an instant, and with no crime, no dark 
remorse, no sorrow for an evil he could not 
undo. 

All this happened about a hundred and fifty 
years after the angel with the flaming sword 
came to guard the gates of Eden. These two 
brothers were not the only ones upon the 
earth. As time passed, the children of Cain 
became great and mighty. His son Enoch has 
the fame that belongs to the man who first 

37 



THE STORY BIBLE 

built a city, for in the early days people did 
not live in cities. 

It may easily be that Cain learned to de- 
sire in his old age a secure life. He went to 
settle at last in the land of Nod, on the east of 
Eden. I hope that God forgave him for his 
sin, but in every age that sin has been remem- 
bered. No wonder he said: My punishment is 
greater than I can bear. 

One of the grandsons of Cain was a man 
named Lamech, and he had two very remark- 
able sons. I want you to know their names. 
One was Jubal, and the other Tubal-cain; not 
names that sound very pleasant to us, yet 
names that can never be forgotten, for 
Jubal had a soul for music, and heard the mel- 
odies that the wind sings in the pine trees, and 
the brook sings when it goes foaming over the 
stones. He set these tunes to music. He was 
the father of all such as handle the harp and 
organ, the first inventor of musical instru- 
ments. His brother was the first to work in 
brass and iron, the first to learn how to 
make tools and weapons and to teach others 
what can be done with metals. Surely these 

38 



ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL 

were wonderful men, these grandchildren of 
Cain. 

Tubal-cain and Jubal had a sister and her 
name is given. It was Naamah. But what she 
did, or why she is mentioned, I do not know. 
I fancy, though, that she believed in her broth- 
ers and liked to help them when they were 
pottering about their inventions, and cheered 
them up when other people thought they were 
wasting their time and wondered that they 
were not chasing beasts in the forests or shoot- 
ing birds on the wing. No doubt both Jubal 
and Tubal-cain were fond of their sister Naa- 
mah. This might be called a second story of 
two brothers; these two who lived in such har- 
mony that each did something to make the 
world better. 

Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years. 
He had many sons and daughters, but we are 
told only the name of one who was born to 
Eve after the death of Abel. His name was 
Seth, and he seems to have had a sweet and 
reverent nature, and in his days and those of 
his son men began to call upon the Name of 
the Lord. 

39 



IV 
NOAH AND THE ARK 

I TOLD you that in the days of Seth men 
began to call upon the Name of the Lord. 
After the world began to grow large and 
populous men forgot God, but Seth and his 
family kept to the old ways and worshipped 
JEHOVAH. 

The children of Cain were valiant and 
strong, or clever and pushing, and did many 
great deeds, but they wandered away from 
God. Out of this wandering of theirs all their 
troubles came. They were stubborn and 
proud and wanted their own way. 

The children of Seth, who called upon God, 
were ready to accept God's way. Among 
them was a man whose name was Enoch. 
Enoch was so good a man and loved God so 
truly that he was said to walk with Him. This 
is his epitaph: And Enoch walked with God, 
and he was not, for God took him. Enoch it 
is thought never saw the face of death but 

40 



NOAH AND THE ARK 

was simply caught right up into heaven by 
some kind angel. He was here one day; the 
next, without pain or suffering, he was at 
home with God. He was not here, for God 
took him away. 

A little girl in England came home one day 
from Sunday School, says the Rev. G. Camp- 
bell Morgan, and when her mother asked her 
what she had learned there replied, "I heard 
about a man whose name was Enoch, and he 
took long walks with God. One day he 
walked so far that he was right by the door 
of God's house, and God opened it and said, 
Enoch, come in. And he went in and stayed 
there all the rest of the time." 

Enoch had a son named Methusalah who 
lived on the earth almost a thousand years, 
nine hundred and sixty-nine, to be accurate. 
And after him came Lamech who lived seven 
hundred and seventy-seven years. Though 
they lived to a great age, these old fathers of 
the race had to die at last. No doubt they 
were quite ready to say good-night and fall 
asleep. 

Lamech's son was Noah, a word which 
4i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

means rest or comfort. You see they gave 
Noah a name with a beautiful meaning. He 
was to have a very eventful life, for Noah was 
the man whom I must tell you of, now that 
we have reached the story of the Flood. 

Noah was about five hundred years old 
when God one day told him that he must build 
an ark or ship. People had multiplied in the 
world, and many of them had grown very 
wicked. They had grown so wicked that they 
had stopped being ashamed and did not care 
what they did, or how they offended God, and 
they were all the worse because among them 
were giants, strong men and brave, and also 
beautiful women, but all just as bad as bad 
could be ! Noah was different from these peo- 
ple, and he had found favor in the eyes of the 
Lord- He had three sons whose names were 
Shem, Ham and Japheth. As God looked 
down upon the world and saw in it thieves 
and robbers and murderers and every kind of 
ruffian and villain, spoiling the bright clean 
world and marauding everywhere, He deter- 
mined to send a great flood and destroy every- 
thing in the world. The Bible says: It re- 

42 



NOAH AND THE ARK 

pented the Lord that he had made man on the 
earth and it grieved him at his heart; and the 
Lord said: I will destroy man, whom I have 
created, from the face of the earth, both man 
and beast and the creeping thing and the fowls 
of the air. For it repenteth me that I have 
made them. They must have been fearfully 
wicked so to grieve the Lord. 

Noah, alone among the children of men, 
lived a pure life and held fast to his faith in 
God. So to Noah was given the task of pre- 
serving alive one family when all else should 
be destroyed. And through it to preserve the 
human race. He was told to build an ark, 
really to build an immense house that would 
float. It was made of gopher wood and cov- 
ered with pitch, inside and out, so that no 
water could come thraugh it. This ark was 
to be three hundred cubits high; a very large 
floating house indeed, in which were to be 
rooms and compartments. It had no less than 
three stories, this wonderful ocean vessel in 
which the first mariner of the ages was to sail. 
It had only one window in it and only one 
door. Noah was more than a hundred years 

43 



THE STORY BIBLE 

building this ark, and the people came from 
far and near to look at him and laugh and jeer 
at his folly while the work went on. He told 
them what it was for, I am sure, and begged 
them to repent, but the more he preached the 
more they laughed. They thought him crazy 
but he kept right on hammering, sawing and 
building his ark. 

At last the work was done. God had said 
that the ark was to be built. Noah had be- 
lieved God, and so he had worked away at the 
great task when the skies were clear and there 
was no hint of any coming storm. 

The people all about had gone on growing 
worse and worse. The whole world was filled 
with their iniquity. To Noah God said: 

And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of 
waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh, 
wherein is the breath of life, from under 
heaven. 

And everything that is in the earth shall 
die. But with thee will I establish my cove- 
nant. And thou shalt come into the ark, thou 
and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' 
wives with thee. 

44 



NOAH AND THE ARK 

God told Noah also to take an abundance of 
food of every kind into the ark, food for ani- 
mals as well as for himself. And of every 
living thing in the world he was to take two. 
So into Noah's ark went two of every kind of 
bird and beast, fowl and cattle and insect, and 
the great ark was big enough to hold them 
all. 

There was a word used a few moments ago 
that I want you to notice because it is a very 
interesting word. God made a covenant with 
Noah. Covenant means agreement. If Noah 
would do just what God told him to, God on 
His part promised to do all that should be 
needed for Noah so long as he lived and 
obeyed God's commands. 

Into the ark they all went, Noah and his 
family and the long procession of the animals. 
And as soon as they were safe inside and the 
door was shut, it began to rain. It may not 
have rained very hard at first, but it rained and 
rained and rained without stopping, pouring 
down a perfect flood, with wild and furious 
gales rising ever louder, day after day, day 
after day, for forty days and forty nights. It 

45 



THE STORY BIBLE 

rained till the great fountains of the deep were 
broken up and all the windows of heaven were 
opened. 

The waters so increased that the tops of the 
highest hills were covered. In the great floods 
and freshets, the cities that Cain had built 
were all swept away, the great homes of the 
giants went down like nine-pins before the 
blast, and all the men and women in the world 
were drowned, and every beast and bird per- 
ished. Only in the ark that rode safely on 
the top of the billows was there to be seen a 
sign of life. Inside the ark there were warmth 
and comfort and safety, for the Lord had shut 
Noah and his family within it. No harm could 
reach them there. 

As the Bible says, Every living substance 
was destroyed which was upon the face of the 
ground, both man and cattle and creeping 
things and the fowl of the heaven; and they 
were destroyed from the earth, and Noah only 
remained alive, and they that were with him 
in the ark. 

Five weary months Noah spent in the ark 
before the storm lessened. One day God re- 

4 6 



NOAH AND THE ARK 

membered Noah and sent a wind that passed 
over the earth, and the waters began to grow 
calm and to decrease. The rain diminished 
slowly, little by little the waters abated, but 
it took a very long time for them so to leave 
the earth that it could again be a habitation 
for man. In the seventh month from the time 
Noah entered the ark, it rested on dry ground, 
on the top of Mount Ararat. In the tenth 
month Noah opened the window of the ark 
and looked out over the waste of waters. Far 
and wide he could still see only the tossing, 
tumbling, foaming waves as of a mighty sea. 
But the tops of the mountains were now 
visible. 

So out of the ark's window he sent forth a 
raven. The raven never came back. It wan- 
dered to and fro until the waves were dried 
up from the earth. Being a wild flesh-eating 
bird, it could find food for itself on the moun- 
tainside, and could perch there at night. The 
raven did not come back, as I said. So Noah 
sent forth a dove, a timid little bird of peace. 
But the dove could find no rest for the sole of 
her foot, and she came flying back, beating her 

47 



THE STORY BIBLE 

wings against the window until the good man 
put forth his hand and took her, and pulled 
her safe in. Seven days later he sent her forth 
again early in the morning, and at night she 
came back with an olive leaf in her mouth. 
This little green leaf told its own sweet story 
of cheer, and when Noah saw it, he knew that 
the waters were retreating and would soon 
be gone. Once more, at the end of seven 
days, he sent the dove, but this time she did 
not return. 

She came back no more to the ark because 
everywhere the flowers were springing up and 
the grass was growing green. The dove would 
soon forget the long time in the ark when 
again she had a nest in some green olive tree. 

Noah and his family lived in the ark until 
one day God said that they might leave it. 
They must have felt like storm tossed peo- 
ple who get safe to port after a long voyage. 
Noah opened the door in the side of the ark, 
and out flew all the birds, and out stepped all 
the animals, one by one, two by two. If Shem 
and Ham and Japheth had any little children, 
as no doubt they had, I am sure their faces 

48 



NOAH AND THE ARK 

were at the window watching the procession 
when the lions and tigers and wolves, not fero- 
cious but gentle, went out into the great 
roomy world, while the cattle and the other 
beasts followed. The wild beasts were soon 
to grow fierce and prowl about for prey, but 
they were not fierce while they stayed in the 
ark, for they knew something strange was 
happening outside and they knew besides that 
Noah was their friend. They were glad 
enough to make lairs and seek dens, but the 
gentle household friends, the sheep and the 
goats, would stay near the ark until Noah and 
his people came out and showed them what 
to do. 

Noah was a grand old ship builder and the 
ark he made was the forerunner of the fleets 
and navies of the world. He was a grand 
old sailor-man, not a bit afraid, though he had 
no mariner's compass and the stars were all 
hidden while the ark rode the waters. He 
trusted in God, and God brought him safe to 
the end of the voyage. 

One day, up in the sky, out shone the sun, 
its dancing rays falling on all the rolling rivers 

49 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and singing brooks, and on the trees that once 
more lifted up their heads on the mountain- 
sides. Then up in the sky, spanning it with 
a mighty arch, softly shone the first rainbow. 

You may break up the old ark, Noah, when- 
ever you like, and take its timbers to build a 
house or make a fire. You may soon live again 
in a tent. You will not want the ark ever 
again. And a tent will seem a dearer home. 
For God has given you a promise and a pledge. 

The first thing Noah did, when he and his 
family stood on the firm ground, was to build 
an altar of stones and offer on it a burnt offer- 
ing to JEHOVAH. This was the way men 
worshipped then. Beside the altar he prayed 
and the smoke of his offering went floating 
up to the throne of God. And then Noah 
heard God say: I will not again curse the 
ground for man's sake, neither will I again 
smite everything living as I have done. While 
the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, 
and cold and heat, and summer and winter, 
and day and night, shall not fail. 

It must have looked new and very beautiful 
to these people when they saw the trees 

5o 



NOAH AND THE ARK 

spreading their leaves like little green um- 
brellas and here and there a blossom peeping 
out. But they must have been lonely too with 
all the houses they used to see swept away, 
the neighbors and friends all gone, and the 
ark itself on an upland where they had never 
been before. They were like pioneers in a new 
country with everything to do. They were 
glad when they looked at the sky and saw the 
lovely rainbow. When you look up and see it, 
dear child, you too may remember what God 
said, for the rainbow is for you and me as well 
as for those who saw it first. Is there one 
after a shower? Then listen: 

This is the token of the covenant which I 
make between me and you, and every living 
creature that is with you, for perpetual gener- 
ations. 

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall 
be for a token of a covenant between me and 
the earth. 

And it shall come to pass when I bring a 
cloud over the earth that the bow shall be seen 
in the cloud. And I will remember my cove- 
nant which is between me and you and every 

5i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall 
no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 

And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will 
look upon it that I may remember the ever- 
lasting covenant between God and every liv- 
ing creature that is upon the earth. 

Not only in the Bible, but in the traditions 
of people who have never had a Bible, there 
lingers the story of the Flood. Every nation 
has heard something of the great deluge that 
washed away the wickedness of the old, old 
world. But not every nation knows the mean- 
ing of the rainbow. 



52 



WHEN THEY BUILT A TOWER 

DOES it ever seem odd to you that there 
are so many different languages? You 
may know a little of three yourself. Some 
children are so fortunate as to learn English 
and French and German about the same time, 
when they are little and can easily imitate the 
sounds they hear. It is very convenient to 
know more than one language and to read 
books that are written in another language 
than one's own. But, once upon a time, all 
the people in the world spoke the same tongue 
and understood each other without the least 
trouble wherever they happened to go. The 
whole earth, the Bible says, was once of one 
language and one speech. 

A great many years had passed since the 
Flood, and the children had so multiplied that 
they had become great nations. They began 
to branch out from the East as they needed 

S3 



THE STORY BIBLE 

more room for their tents and more pastures 
for their sheep and cattle, and, finally, some 
of them found a fertile plain in a land called 
Shinar. This plain pleased them so much that 
they determined to stay there and build a city. 
They began to make brick and mortar and 
they worked with great speed and pride, feel- 
ing very grand as they saw their city rising 
with its spires and tall chimneys and strong 
walls. 

Go to, they said, this city is very fine, 
but let us build something finer. Let us build 
a tower, up, up, up, until its top shall touch 
the sky; let us make a tower that every one 
can see for miles and miles, so that all the 
people scattered abroad upon the face of the 
earth shall wonder at us and remember what 
we have done. 

And the Lord came down to see the city and 
the tower which the children of men builded. 

And the Lord said, Behold this people is 
one and they have all one language. And this 
they begin to do, and now nothing will be 
restrained from them which they have imag- 
ined to do. 

54 



WHEN THEY BUILT A TOWER 

Go to, let us go down and there confound 
their language that they may not understand 
one another's speech. 

So the Lord scattered them abroad from 
thence upon the face of all the earth and they 
left off to build the city. 

Therefore, is the name of it called Babel, 
because the Lord did there confound the lan- 
guage of all the earth. And from thence did 
the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face 
of all the earth. 

I do not know whether these people who 
went on so famously with their tall tower 
meant to climb to its top and peep into the 
sky itself and see what was hidden on the 
other side of the sky. I have often thought I 
would like to see that myself and no doubt you 
have felt so too. But there was something in 
what they did that displeased God, and in 
those days the world's great children do not 
seem to have grown up to much wisdom. 
They were like little folk who build a great 
cathedral with roofs and steeples or a great 
tower of blocks that tumbles down at the 
touch. Their city and their tower had to stop 

55 



THE STORY BIBLE 

when the mason could not understand the 
carpenter and the laborer did not know what 
the foreman wanted him to do. They all 
seemed to be speaking different languages, so 
that they divided into little groups and com- 
panies; some went one way, some another, and 
only a few stayed beside the tall unfinished 
tower. 

If it has any lesson for us it is that we must 
not be too proud and boastful about any work 
we do, but keep a humble spirit. 

God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to 
the humble. 

It was at the Tower of Babel that the differ- 
ent languages in the world were born. 



56 



VI 
ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD 

IN a country called Chaldea there was a 
good old man whose name was Terah. 
We are now leaving behind us the simpler 
times and coming into the times when gov- 
ernment began. The first government was 
that of the family and was called patriarchal. 
That is a hard name for a little tongue, but, 
dear child, I want you to say it over and I 
will try to tell you what it means. It means 
that a father governs a family and that all 
the relations, uncles and cousins and brothers 
and sisters and sons and daughters and serv- 
ants, have to do whatever the father or pa- 
triarch says they must. A patriarch was a 
father, a king, and a general all in one. 

Life was a little shorter now than in the 
early days. Terah in Ur of the Chaldeans was 
two hundred and five years old when he died. 
He had a son named Abram. Abram was a 
thoughtful man who liked to walk out at night 

57 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and look up at the stars and think of God and 
of God's Will. 

So the Lord often looked at Abram and said 
things to him in the silence of the night. Once 
He said to him: Get thee out of thy country 
and from thy kindred and from thy father's 
house, into a land that I will show thee. 

Abram heard God saying this in a voice 
within his soul. 

And I will make of thee a great nation, and 
I will bless thee and make thy name great, and 
thou shalt be a blessing. 

And I will bless them that bless thee, and 
curse them that curse thee and in thee shall 
all families of the earth be blessed. 

The best part of what God said to Abram 
was: Thou shalt be a blessing. Abram gath- 
ered his family together, his beautiful wife 
whose name was Sarai, and Lot his nephew, 
and he started to go to a strange country. 
Abram was now seventy-five years old but 
was not feeble in the least. He was a rich 
man and he and Lot had a great deal of sub- 
stance, flocks and herds of sheep, oxen, asses 
and camels. They had also men servants and 

58 



ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD 

maid servants in great numbers. You may 
think of them riding on the camels, the great 
caravans moving slowly away from the land 
they knew to the land they did not know. 
The sacred writer says: They went forth to 
go into the land of Canaan, and into the land 
of Canaan they came. 

It was a lovely land, overrun by warlike 
people, but God told Abram that in days to 
come it should belong to him. Wherever the 
caravan rested and they pitched their tents, 
Abram built an altar to the Lord and the Lord 
bent down to give him some token of His 
presence. Abram was the friend of God. As 
they went on they found that there was a 
famine in the land of Canaan and little food 
to be had there for a stranger with a great 
retinue. So Abram went to Egypt where food 
was plenty. The King of Egypt was kind and 
they tarried in his country awhile. 

But Egypt was not his resting place. When 
they felt it was safe Abram and Lot gath- 
ered their people together and went up out of 
Egypt. The women and servants and chil- 
dren of the camp went too. Abram's fair wife 

59 



THE STORY BIBLE 

was queen of all. Abram was very rich in 
cattle and silver and gold. Lot too had flocks 
and herds and tents. 

Abram and Lot, being kinsmen, were con- 
tented to live in the same place, but there was 
strife between their servants. The herdmen 
of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's 
cattle were often disputing and fighting about 
the best pastures and the best streams, and 
their masters saw that this state of things 
must be stopped very soon or fierce foes, the 
Canaanite and the Perrizite, would take ad- 
vantage, swoop down and destroy them. 
Abram was very noble and generous. He said 
to Lot: Let there be no strife, I pray thee, 
between me and thee, and between my herd- 
men and thy herdmen. For we are brethren. 

Is not the whole land before thee? Sep- 
arate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou 
wilt take the left hand, I will go to the right. 
If thou depart to the right hand, I will go to 
the left. 

It was settled in this way. Lot chose a 
beautiful well watered plain toward the east 
and there he pitched his tent. 

60 



ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD 

After Lot had gone away, the Lord said to 
Abram: 

Lift up now thine eyes and look from the 
place where thou art northward and south- 
ward and eastward and westward. Arise, 
walk through the land, in the length of it and 
the breadth of it, for I will give it unto you. 

Lot seems to have been a selfish person who 
made haste to snatch the best he could find. 
He had no sooner left Abram, however, than 
he found himself in a good deal of trouble. 
A battle began to rage around him, in which 
fierce chieftains fought, and those who won 
the day carried off Lot and his goods and his 
family into captivity. It really served him 
right. 

One of Lot's people made his escape and 
slipped away to Abram, who was then dwell- 
ing in the Plain of Mamre. No sooner did 
Abram hear the tidings than he armed three 
hundred and eighteen trained servants, born 
in his own house, and the band came hot foot 
after the kings who had taken captive his 
nephew Lot. 

This desert Sheik was every inch a soldier. 

61 



THE STORY BIBLE 

He came on the hostile camp in the dead of 
night, pounced upon it like a whirlwind, 
routed and smote it and brought back all the 
stolen goods; brought back Lot and his peo- 
ple, too, left them safe in their own land, and 
with the victorious troop went home again. 

As he returned a conqueror, a number of 
the captains and kings of the valleys and hills 
came out to meet him, offering salutations. A 
mysterious personage, one Melchizedek, King 
of Salem, brought forth bread and wine. He 
was the Priest of the Most High God, pos- 
sessor of heaven and earth. 

The King of Sodom came bowing out and 
said : Give me the captives you have taken but 
keep the spoil for yourself. 

But Abram said : I have lifted up mine hand 
unto the Most High God that I will not take 
from a thread even to a shoe latchet anything 
that is thine lest thou shouldst say I have 
made Abram rich. 

After these things the Word of the Lord 
came to Abram in a vision saying: Fear not, 
I am thy shield and thy exceeding great re- 
ward. 

62 



ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD 

Although Abram was so rich and great, up 
to this time he had no heir. He thought of 
adopting a faithful servant who had been born 
in his house and making him his heir. But the 
Lord said to him, Thou shalt have a son of 
thine own and in the days to come the children 
who shall call thee father, through many gen- 
erations, shall be more in number than the 
stars. 

It was hard for Abram to believe this. God 
often told people secret things in those early 
days, speaking to them in visions and dreams. 
Everything He told Abram was fulfilled al- 
though he was almost a century old before his 
son Isaac was born. 



63 



VII 
THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT 

ONE day, as Abram sat at his tent door 
in the heat of the day, he looked up 
and saw three men crossing the plain and com- 
ing toward him. They were strangers, but he 
ran to meet them and bowed himself to the 
ground. He was very glad that visitors were 
coming although he did not know them. In 
that land there were no inns, and a patriarch 
like Abram kept open house in his great en- 
campment of tents. It was polite to treat 
strangers well and it showed a kind heart. 
Abram was an Eastern prince. He wore flow- 
ing robes of many colors, with a girdle around 
his waist and sandals on his feet. The robes 
had rich embroidery at the hem. Sometimes 
they were white. He wore on his head a tur- 
ban under which I can see his dark eyes, keen 
and piercing, eyes that could see far across the 
desert waste, eyes that were used to command. 

6 4 



THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT 

This desert prince was almost a hundred years 
old, yet he was not bent or weak or infirm, 
but was a strong man still. 

Bowing almost to the ground, as I said, 
in a lowly salaam, he begged the men to come 
in, addressing the one who seemed to be the 
leader. He said, My lord, if I have found 
favor in thy sight, pass not away I pray thee, 
but come in. Let water be fetched to wash 
your feet and rest yourselves under the trees 
and I will bring bread that you may comfort 
your hearts. So he made them sit down. 

Then very quickly, as the way of the time 
was, he hastened into the tent and said to his 
wife: Make ready as fast as you can some 
cakes and bake them on the hearth. We have 
guests who must be well entertained. 

In a very little while food was set before 
these visitors. We must not now call Abram 
by this name, as God gave him a better name, 
Abraham, the father of many nations. He did 
not know that these men were messengers 
from God. But they were indeed angels whom 
God had sent on an errand of His own. 

They told him that Sarah his wife should, 

65 



THE STORY BIBLE 

before long, in her old age, have a son of her 
own. She could hardly believe it, but in due 
time the little one came and there were feasts 
and great rejoicing. Isaac, the long-hoped- 
for babe, was most beautiful and was, by and 
by, a gentle child who went everywhere with 
his father, and in whom Sarah took such pride 
as a mother would who had long ago given 
up the hope of ever having a little one. Sarah, 
my princess, was now the name of her who had 
once been Sarai. 

Before Isaac came to make Abraham and 
Sarah supremely happy, there had been in the 
tent another dark eyed and graceful boy, the 
son of Hagar, Sarah's maid. This lad, whose 
name was Ishmael, had been very much loved 
by Abraham and he had at one time thought 
that he might bequeath to him all that he had. 
He said to the Lord: O that Ishmael might 
live before Thee. 

But God said: No, not Ishmael. 

Hagar was an Egyptian, a daughter of the 
desert and a slave in Abraham's house. After 
the birth of Isaac very little attention was paid 
to Ishmael and Sarah especially treated the 

66 



THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT 

poor boy with the greatest disdain. She felt 
as if danger were brewing for her child when- 
ever she looked at Hagar or let her eyes 
rest on Hagar's boy. Any little thing that 
Ishmael did, even in fun, made her angry. 
When Isaac was three years old and Ishmael 
perhaps thirteen, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking 
her boy. This was too much for her patience, 
and in great anger she said to Abraham: Cast 
out this bondwoman and her son. I will not 
have them here in the house with Isaac. I can- 
not bear the sight of him or his mother. 

Abraham grieved greatly and did not want 
to do this. It seemed to him most cruel and 
unjust. But God said: In all that Sarah hath 
said unto thee, hearken to her voice, for in 
Isaac shall thy seed be called. 

But God promised, too, to make a great na- 
tion of the son of the bondwoman. 

Early the next morning Abraham rose with 
a very heavy heart. He took bread, and filled 
a leather bottle with water, and giving both to 
Hagar sent her away. She carried the burden 
on her shoulder, and led her child by the hand 
and she walked a long way into the wilderness 

6 7 " 



THE STORY BIBLE 

of Beersheba. The desert was parched and 
hot, the sun beat upon their heads, the child 
grew faint. 

When the water was spent in the bottle 
she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 
And she went and sat down a good way off, 
as it were a bow shot. 

For she said: Let me not see the death of 
the child. And she sat over against him and 
wept. 

And God heard the voice of the lad and the 
angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven 
and said unto her: What aileth thee, Hagar? 
Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the 
lad where he is. 

Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in thine 
hand, for I will make him a great nation. 

And God opened her eyes and she saw a 
well of water and she went and filled the bottle 
with water and gave the lad a drink. 

And God was with the lad and he grew and 
dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. 

He was a wild man of the desert of whom 
it was said, His hand shall be against every 
man, and every man's hand against him. A 

68 



THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT 

different nature was his from that of the gen- 
tle Isaac. 

A very strange incident happened some 
years later in the history of Abraham and 
Isaac. God said to the father : Take now thy 
son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, 
and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer 
him there for a burnt offering in one of the 
mountains of which I will tell thee. 

Very early the next morning Abraham rose, 
took his son and two of his servants, and car- 
rying wood for a burnt offering started on his 
journey. 

Three days they traveled, resting in the 
noontides, before Abraham saw the place afar 
off. 

And Abraham said to the servants: Abide 
here with the ass and I and the lad will go 
yonder and worship and come again to you. 

He took the wood, gave it to Isaac to carry, 
took the fire in his hand and a knife, and they 
went on alone together. 

And Isaac said unto Abraham, My father, 
and he said, Here am I, my son. 

And Isaac said: Behold the fire and the 

6 9 



THE STORY BIBLE 

wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offer- 
ing? 

And Abraham said: My son, God will pro- 
vide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. 

So they went on together. 

When they came to the place, Abraham 
built the altar and laid the wood in order and 
then, with a breaking heart, he took Isaac and 
bound him and laid him on the altar. 

No doubt his tears fell on Isaac's face and 
Isaac wept too, but did not resist. He was 
gentle as a lamb that was led to the slaughter, 
and in a strange way seemed to comprehend 
that whatever God commanded was right. 
Abraham stretched forth his hand and took 
the sharp knife to slay his son. The knife 
gleamed in the air. Isaac lay still. I do not 
believe he was afraid. He trusted his father. 
Suddenly, from heaven, the angel of the Lord 
called loudly: Abraham, Abraham, stop. Lay 
not thine hand upon the lad. Do nothing to 
him. I know that thou fearest God. 

Joyfully Abraham dropped the knife, looked 
up and saw in a thicket a great ram, held fast 
by his horns. He took the ram and offered 

70 



THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT 

him for a burnt offering instead of his son. 
And he called the name of the place Jehovah- 
jireh, which means, the Lord will provide. 

The Lord then blessed Abraham from 
heaven a second time and renewed His prom- 
ises and the two, with the young men, went 
home to Sarah with light hearts. 

Not long after this, as years were counted 
then, a great trial came to Abraham and Isaac. 
Sarah, the dear wife and mother, died. Abra- 
ham wanted a place in which to bury his dead. 
He went to some of the people who lived near 
him and said : I am a stranger and a sojourner 
with you. Give me a place here to bury my 
dead. 

But he did not mean to take the land as a 
gift. The old man bowed himself to the 
ground before the sons of Heth and said: I 
prefer to pay you money for a burying place. 
This is a field with a cave that I want. Let 
me have it that I may bury my dead. You 
must not refuse me this favor, but I must buy 
the land. 

Ephron, the owner of the land, said: My 
lord, the land is worth four hundred shekels 

7i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

of silver. What is that betwixt me and thee? 
Bury therefore thy dead. 

So Abraham gave Ephron the silver by 
weight, measuring it into scales current 
money with the merchant. And after this, 
when the sale had been ratified in the pres- 
ence of many witnesses, he laid to rest Sarah 
his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah 
before Mamre. \ 

The first record of selling real estate for 
money is given here in Genesis, and the first 
land that was bought was bought by one who 
mourned, that it might be a grave for one he 
loved. 



72 



VIII 
THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH 

AFTER the death of Sarah it was very 
lonely in the tent. Abraham had 
grown old. He was beginning to live in the 
past. He missed his wife, and, as to Isaac, life 
seemed utterly forlorn without his mother. It 
was quite time that Isaac should have a wife, 
but among the daughters of the Canaanites 
there were none that suited Abraham. He 
was more concerned about it than Isaac was; 
he wanted his only son to have a wife from 
among his own people in the distant land from 
which he had come. There were high born 
damsels there. He sent a trusted servant on 
this important errand. This Eliezar of Da- 
mascus was to go and choose a wife whom 
Isaac and Abraham would both approve. He 
could not bring her against her will, so it was 
really a mission that needed a very wise and 
delicate management. Eliezar was devoted 
to the family and very willing to do his best. 
He set out with no less than ten camels, loaded 

73 



THE STORY BIBLE 

with costly gifts for the bride, and across the 
land he went day by day until he reached 
Mesopotamia. This was the point he sought 
and he made his camels kneel down beside a 
well, outside the city, just at the twilight hour 
when women came to the well to draw water. 
In Eastern lands the village women still 
come out at sunset with their pitchers and 
buckets to draw water for household use, and 
they stand around the well and talk and tell 
about the little things that have taken place 
through the day. 

The servant knew this custom and he lifted 
up his heart and prayed: 

O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray 
thee send me goodspeed this day and show 
kindness to my master Abraham. Behold I 
stand here by the well and the daughters of 
the city come out to draw water. 

Let it come to pass that the damsel to whom 
I shall say: Let down thy pitcher, I pray 
thee, that I may drink, and she shall say: 
Drink and I will give thy camels drink also, 
let the same be she that thou hast appointed 
for thy servant Isaac, and therefore shall I 

74 



THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH 

know that thou hast shown kindness unto my 
master. 

Eliezar knew that a gracious lady would be 
polite and kind, she could be nothing else, and 
this was his test of her goodness. Almost be- 
fore he had ended praying, a lovely girl with 
soft dark eyes and raven tresses came walk- 
ing to the well with her pitcher on her 
shoulder. She was very fair to look upon, a 
young slim girl with a light step and a firm 
hand and a poise of the head like a royal 
maiden. The man did not yet know it but she 
was a daughter of Abraham's own house and 
a cousin of Isaac. Eliezar ran to meet her and 
said, Give me, I pray thee, a drink of cool 
water from your well. I am tired and I have 
come a long way. 

To be sure I will, she said, hastening to let 
down her pitcher. Drink, my lord, and I will 
draw water for thy camels too. 

In a thirsty land, where the deserts are wide 
and the sun is hot, nothing is so grateful as 
a drink of cool water. Here was a girl who 
knew what to do and did it without delay, and 
whose sweet courtesy filled with delight the 

75 



THE STORY BIBLE 

man who watched her. It is a pretty story. 
When she had finished drawing water for the 
camels, which was no light task, the stranger 
took from a packet a massive golden earring 
and two splendid golden bracelets. 

And he said: Whose daughter art thou? 
Tell me, I pray thee, is there room in thy 
father's house for us to lodge? And she said: 
I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son •oi 
Milcah. She said: We have both straw and 
provender enough and room to lodge in. 

And the man bowed down his head and wor- 
shipped the Lord. He said: Blessed be the 
Lord God of my master Abraham who hath 
not left destitute my master of his mercy and 
his truth. I, being in the way, the Lord led 
me to the house of my master's brethren. 

Pleased with the beautiful presents, the 
young girl sped swiftly home and told her 
mother and her people about the meeting at 
the well. Her name was Rebekah. She had 
a brother, Laban, and Laban ran out to meet 
the strange visitor. He had seen the earring 
and the bracelets and he had heard what Re- 
bekah had said, so he gave a warm welcome 

7 6 



THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH 

to Abraham's messenger. With hands out- 
spread and bowing low, he said : Come in, thou 
blessed of the Lord. Wherefore standest thou 
without? For I have prepared the house and 
room for thy camels. 

The man went into the house and Laban 
ungirded his camels and gave them straw and 
provender, and servants brought water to 
wash the tired feet of the men after the dusty 
journey. 

Then food was set before them, but the 
grave and stately envoy said: I will not eat 
until I have told my errand. 

And Laban said: Speak on. 

This was all according to custom among 
well bred people. 

He answered : I am Abraham's servant, and 
the Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and 
he hath given him flocks and herds and silver 
and gold and men servants and maid servants 
and camels and asses. And Sarah, my mas- 
ter's wife, bare a son to my master when she 
was old and unto him hath he given all that 
he hath. And my master made me swear say- 
ing: Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of 

77 



THE STORY BIBLE 

the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land 
I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my father's 
house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto 
my son. 

And I said unto my master: Peradventure 
the woman will not follow me? And he said 
unto me: The Lord before whom I walk will 
send his angel with thee and prosper thy way. 
And thou shalt take a wife for my son from 
my kindred, and of my father's house. 

After this he went on to tell all about the 
pretty scene at the well and the test he had 
resolved to try; and then he said that he 
wished to go back at once to those who had 
sent him, and to take Rebekah with him. 

In our country this would be very strange, 
but it did not seem at all strange to these peo- 
ple in that land. It was according to ancient 
custom, and marriages were always arranged 
in some such way. 

Laban and his father Bethuel answered: 
The thing proceedeth from the Lord. Behold 
Rebekah is before thee. Take her and go, and 
let her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord 
hath spoken. 

78 



THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH 

Then the servant brought forth a great 
store of glittering jewels, gold and silver and 
precious stones and rich garments, and gave 
them to Rebekah. They were presents for the 
bride. He gave rich presents to all her family 
and the family made a great feast. Early the 
next morning he said: You must let me go 
now. I must hasten back to my master. But 
Rebekah's mother could not bear to part with 
her daughter so soon, and she said, as Laban 
did too: Do not go yet. Stay awhile. Let 
Rebekah wait a few days, at least ten, and 
after that she shall go. 

But no persuasion would avail with the man, 
who felt that he must fulfill his mission and 
carry home the bride. He said, positively: 
Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath pros- 
pered my way. Send me away that I may 
go unto my master. 

They asked Rebekah herself if she were 
willing to go and she said: I will go. 

So they sent away Rebekah their sister 
and her nurse and Abraham's servant and his 
men. And they blessed Rebekah and said 
unto her, Thou art our sister. Be thou the 

79 



THE STORY BIBLE 

mother of thousands of millions and let thy 
children possess the gate of those who hate 
them. 

I think it was very brave in this young girl 
to go so willingly into a strange country with 
her nurse, and perhaps with a little train of 
maids of her own. Something must have told 
her that she was going to one who would love 
her and that she would have a happy life. The 
camels, those great creatures that are like 
ships in the desert, carried them along until 
they had left their own country behind them 
and were in a land strange to them, the land 
of Abraham and Isaac. Rebekah never went 
home to Laban and her mother again. 

Now Isaac went out to meditate in the field 
at the eventide. And he looked up and saw 
coming nearer and nearer the .long line of the 
camels. And, as he looked, Rebekah too 
raised her eyes and saw Isaac, and as she did 
so she alighted from the camel. She had said: 
What man is this that walketh in the field to 
meet us? And the answer had been: It is my 
master. 

Do not think she went to meet him holding 

80 



THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH 

her head up, as she had done by the well; not 
so. She took a veil white and full that draped 
her in a mantle and covered herself from head 
to foot. And Isaac stepping onward in the 
dusk, met her and took her hand and led her 
into his mother's Sarah's tent, and she became 
his wife, and he loved her. 

And at last he was comforted after his 
mother's death. 



81 



IX 
REBEKAH'S CHILDREN 

THE beautiful Rebekah had two sons, 
Esau and Jacob. When Esau grew up 
he was brave and bold and liked to go out and 
hunt with his bow and arrows, roving over 
the hills. Jacob did not care for rough sport. 
He was soft of speech and quiet, a gentle lad 
who loved to stay in the tent. Of the two, 
Esau was the dearer to Isaac his father while 
Rebekah made an idol of Jacob. Isaac's pride 
was in Esau, the bold hunter, and he did not 
much notice Jacob. 

One day Esau came home from the field 
very weary and faint with hunger. He had 
tramped all day in the wild woods pursuing 
his game, with nothing to eat. Jacob had been 
making a savory pottage with red lentils or 
beans, and as Esau came to the tent the fumes 
of the delicious stew tempted his appetite. He 
begged Jacob to give him some food for he 

82 



REBEKAH'S CHILDREN 

was very faint. You would think Jacob could 
not have hurried fast enough to feed his fam- 
ished brother. 

Not at all. Esau had something that Jacob 
coveted, that he had often dreamed of and 
wished for. Esau, as elder brother, was the 
heir and held the birthright, and Jacob said 
softly: I am sorry you are hungry but I can- 
not give you my supper for nothing. If you 
will sell me the birthright I will give you all 
the red pottage you want. 

It was a mean sort of bargain for a brother 
to make. But Esau, who was one of the peo- 
ple who cannot deny themselves anything 
they very much want, said in effect: O take 
the old birthright! What do I care for it? I 
am nearly dead with hunger, anyway. Make 
haste and give me food, and you can have it 
for all me. 

Jacob said: Will you swear to give it 
to me? 

And Esau took the oath that Jacob required 
and sold the birthright for a mess of pottage, 
for bread and lentils; and Esau ate and drank 
and went his way. 

83 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Thus Esau despised his birthright. 

A great deal of trouble followed this trans- 
action. Isaac was by this time very old and 
almost blind. I have not the least doubt that 
Rebekah had been mixed up with the birth- 
right business, for a little while afterward she 
helped Jacob play a very low trick upon his 
poor old father. It was a trick that only a 
woman would have thought of and carried 
through so cruelly. I will tell you about it. 

Isaac was fond of the venison that Esau 
brought him and one day he said he could eat 
if he only had that. A word to Esau was 
enough. Away he went with his quiver and 
his bow in search of the meat the old man 
liked. But this did not please Rebekah, who 
wanted Jacob, for reasons of her own, to be 
pleasing to his father, more pleasing than 
Esau. 

Come my son, she said; you must take the 
place of Esau for once. I will help you. 

So she deftly covered his neck and hands 
with goat skin, so that the rough hair would 
deceive his father and make him think it was 
Esau who came into his presence. Then she 

84 



REBEKAH'S CHILDREN 

prepared a delicious dish that resembled 
venison and sent it to Isaac by the hands of 
Jacob. 

My father, he called, My father, and Isaac, 
sitting alone in the dusk of his blindness, 
said: 

Here am I. Who art thou, my son? 

And Jacob said to his father: I am Esau 
thy firstborn. I have done according as thou 
badest me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of 
my venison that thy soul may bless me. 

Isaac suspected something. It did not seem 
possible that the hunter could so soon have 
brought down the prey and he asked how it 
was that it had been found so quickly. And 
Jacob dared to answer: Because the Lord thy 
God brought it to me. 

Still feeling that something was wrong, 
Isaac said : Come closer to me and let me feel 
whether this is indeed my son Esau. 

And Jacob went close to Isaac and the blind 
man could not see him, but the old hands 
groped until they felt the hair of goats which 
Rebekah had put on Jacob's hand and 
neck. 

85 



THE STORY BIBLE 

He said: The voice is Jacob's voice, but the 
hands are the hands of Esau. 

Once again he said: Tell me the truth. Art 
thou Esau? And he said: I am. 

Then having eaten the flesh of kids which 
Rebekah had dressed so that it tasted like 
venison, he spread out his hands, kissed his 
son and gave him his blessing. He said 
solemnly: God give thee the dew of heaven 
and the fatness of the earth and plenty of corn 
and wine. Let people serve thee and nations 
bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren 
and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. 
Cursed be every one that curseth thee and 
blessed be he that blesseth thee. 

Jacob had no sooner gone away from the 
presence of his father and put on his own gar- 
ments again, than Esau came home from his 
hunting. Esau hurried and made savory meat 
and brought it in to Isaac. 

And Isaac his father said unto him: Who 
art thou? And he said: I am thy son, thy 
firstborn, Esau. 

Then Isaac trembled exceedingly and said: 
What is this, where is he that hath taken ven- 

86 



REBEKAH'S CHILDREN 

ison and brought it me? I have eaten of all 
before thou earnest and have blessed him, yea, 
and he shall be blessed. 

When Esau heard these words he cried out 
with a great and very bitter cry, and said 
unto his father: Bless me, even me also, O 
my father. 

And he said: Thy brother came deceitfully 
and hath stolen away thy blessing. 

Esau was very angry, as he had a right to 
be. Jacob's name meant supplanter, and he 
had twice supplanted his brother. He had 
coaxed away his birthright and now he had 
stolen his blessing. 

No one can help feeling sorry for this son 
of Isaac, who, strong man as he was, lifted up 
his voice and wept, and said: Hast thou but 
one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me, 
O my father. 

Isaac was puzzled. He had made Esau, by 
means of his words, to be a sort of serf to 
Jacob; he had given Jacob rule and authority 
and the best of everything. But he said, 
moved by Esau's bitter cries: Behold thy 
dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and 

87 



THE STORY BIBLE 

of the dew of heaven from above; and by thy 
sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy 
brother. And it shall come to pass, when 
thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt 
break his yoke from off thy neck. 

Esau went out from his father full of grief 
and wrath. He made up his mind to bide his 
time. He knew his father could not live very 
long. He said: The days of mourning for my 
father are at hand. Then will I kill my 
brother Jacob. 

Rebekah heard this threat and was very 
much frightened. She knew that Jacob could 
not safely stay at home, so she sent him far 
away to her father's house. It was many 
years before he came back and he never again 
saw his mother. 

Rebekah said privately to Isaac: I am weary 
of my life because of the daughters of Heth. 

Esau had married two wives, both of whom 
Isaac and Rebekah disliked. As the custom 
was they all lived in one home. 

She said: If Jacob take a wife of the 
daughters of Heth, what good shall my life 
be to me? 

88 



REBEKAH'S CHILDREN 

So Isaac sent Jacob to the home of Bethuel, 
his grandfather, and told him to find a wife 
there among his mother's people. 

Long years of sorrow and suffering were to 
be the portion of Jacob. He had the birthright 
and the blessing and, after awhile, he had 
many joys; but great trials came to him, be- 
cause he had acted so meanly to his brother. 



8 9 



X 

THE LADDER TO THE SKY 

JACOB had deserved to have troubles, but, 
though he had done very wrong and been 
unkind and selfish, he was not wholly bad and 
God did not cast him off. We can see that 
notwithstanding his faults God loved him and 
this is a great comfort to us. Though Jacob 
took the wrong means to procure them, the 
very fact that he longed for the birthright and 
the blessing which Esau cared so little about 
showed that he had the right idea of their 
value. He was compelled to fly for his life 
from the vengeance of his brother and, when 
he turned away from his mother and his home, 
his heart was very sad. 

Though the son of a rich man, he went away 
on foot without any attendants. He stole 
away lest Esau should pursue him in a fury. 
But he went on the road that Isaac his father 
told him to take and his face was set toward 

90 



THE LADDER TO THE SKY 

the far off home of his mother's kindred. 
Isaac said : We cannot let you marry anybody 
here in Canaan and it is time that you should 
marry. These daughters of Heth whom Esau 
has married are breaking your mother's heart. 
Go then to the house of Bethuel, your mother's 
father, and seek a wife in the house of her 
brother Laban. And may God bless you and 
keep you all your days. May you have the 
blessing of Abraham and may God make you 
the father of a great people. 

Thus Isaac bade Jacob farewell. His 
mother cried when she kissed him at the last 
and, for days after he had gone, there were 
tears in her eyes as she stood in the tent door 
and looked over the desert. 

Jacob went out from Beersheba with his lit- 
tle stock of food for the road, dried meat and 
bread and fruit, trusting to find water in 
springs and wells by the way. He guided his 
steps by the sun and stars as he went toward 
the distant land of Haran. 

Night came on and, worn and weary, the 
young wayfarer found a place in a field beside 
the highway where he thought he would tarry 

9i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

until the morning. Perhaps he could hear 
through the silence the cry of the jackal, or 
the padding feet of wild beasts prowling about 
in the dark. I am sure that he knelt down on 
the green grass and prayed that God would 
take care of him and preserve him from harm. 
He gathered some loose stones that were lying 
about on the edge of the road and took them 
for his pillow and lay down and fell asleep. 
Hard was the stony pillow, but the tired eyes 
soon closed and the traveler forgot his misery 
and slept as if he had been at home. In that 
sleep, dear children, Jacob had the loveliest 
dream ever given to mortal man. 

He dreamed that he saw a ladder which 
reached from earth to heaven; the ladder's 
foot was on the ground, but the top was lost 
beyond the sky; and behold! the angels of God 
were ascending and descending upon it. At 
the very top of it, where it touched heaven, 
amid the brightness of the sky stood the Lord 
Himself, looking down in pity and love on the 
lonely boy below. To the sleeper lying on 
the dewy pasture, his head pillowed on the 
cold stones, God revealed Himself in this 

92 



THE LADDER TO THE SKY 

dream, saying: I am the Lord God of Abra- 
ham thy father and the God of Isaac; the land 
whereon thou liest to thee will I give it and 
to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust 
of the earth and thou shalt spread abroad to 
the west and to the east and to the north and 
to the south ; and in thee and in thy seed shall 
all the families of the earth be blessed. 

And behold I am with thee and will keep 
thee in all places whither thou goest, and will 
bring thee again into this land, for I will not 
leave thee until I have done that which I have 
spoken to thee of. 

When Jacob opened his eyes, morning had 
come suddenly as it does in the East, flooding 
the world with light. The wild beasts had 
hidden away in jungles, thickets and caves, the 
birds were singing, the dewdrops shone on the 
blades of grass, and the dark night was over. 
Morning had come. A beautiful new day was 
born. 

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and 
said: Surely the Lord is in this place, and I 
knew it not. And he was afraid and said: 
How awful is this place. This is none other 

93 



THE STORY BIBLE 

than the house of God and this is the gate of 
heaven. 

The first thing that Jacob did in the early 
morning was to choose a stone from those on 
which his head had rested, and set it up for 
a pillar. He poured some oil on top of this 
stone, for it was sacred in his sight. 

In those days when God had given anyone 
a great deliverance or a great victory he did 
what Jacob did here. He set up a monu- 
ment of some kind that it might always re- 
mind himself of the Lord's goodness ; and that 
all who passed by might see it, and think of 
God. 

Jacob called the name of that place Bethel, 
which means God's house. 

And Jacob vowed a vow saying: If God will 
be with me and will keep me in this way that 
I go and will give me bread to eat and raiment 
to put on so that I come again to my father's 
house in peace, then shall the Lord be my 
God. And this stone which I have set for a 
pillar shall be God's house. And of all that 
thou shalt give me I will surely give a tenth 
unto thee. 

94 



THE LADDER TO THE SKY 

Dear children who read this old story, I 
have this word for you: Often as we go 
through life we are surrounded by dangers, 
seen and unseen, and many a time, though we 
do not know it, God's angels are all about us 
keeping watch, both when we wake and when 
we sleep. There is always a shadowy ladder, 
golden bright, stretching from our earthly 
home to heaven, and up and down that ladder 
the angels walk. 



95 



XI 
JACOB AND LABAN 

A FTER Jacob had built his altar and set 
-^*- up his pillar of stone at Bethel, where 
he had seen the angels going to and fro be- 
tween earth and heaven, he went more cheer- 
ily on his way to the strange country. Hope 
had been kindled in his heart, and when 
one is hopeful one's courage is strong. 
At night he slept peacefully. By day he 
walked steadily on until one morning, looking 
up, he found himself in a green rolling country, 
a land of pastures and fleecy flocks. He saw 
a great field and in the field a well and beside 
the well three flocks of lambs and sheep. The 
sheep were lying by the well, huddling to- 
gether closely as sheep do, as they waited to 
be watered. The well was a deep cool cistern 
of clear water and it was the most precious 
thing its owner had, for there the thirsty sheep 
came every day to drink. If the well had gone 
dry the shepherds would have had to drive 

9 6 



JACOB AND LABAN 

their flocks far away to find some spring or 
river or some unfailing well. Here and there 
among the sheep stood shepherds, shaggy fig- 
ures with long beards and loose flowing gar- 
ments fastened with girdles around their 
waists. They were dressed just as Jacob was, 
and in their hands were shepherds' crooks 
with which to guide their flocks. Jacob was 
a shepherd too and knew all about flocks. His 
heart leaped with joy and he almost forgot his 
homesickness at this familiar sight, for he had 
been yearning to see once more the flocks he 
had left in Gerar. 

In the East the shepherd knows each sheep 
by name and, though sheep are silly creatures, 
they learn to love those who care for them 
and, out of flocks of hundreds, the mother 
ewes and the young lambs learn to obey the 
shepherd's voice and will come to him one by 
one. 

The well was covered by a great slab of 
rock. When this was lifted, the sheep were 
watered. Then it was replaced until another 
time. 

As Jacob came near he greeted the shep- 
97 



THE STORY BIBLE 

herds politely. My brethren, he said, whence 
come ye? 

From Haran we come, they answered. 

From Haran! Jacob was glad indeed, for 
it was Haran to which he was going. 

Do you happen to know Laban the son of 
Nahor? he inquired. 

We know Laban, they said, and here behold 
Rachel his daughter is coming with her 
sheep. 

Across the field came Rachel, slender and 
straight and very beautiful. 

For what are you waiting? asked the 
stranger. It is time, is it not, that the sheep 
should be watered and the cattle gathered to- 
gether and all of them fed? To Jacob the men 
seemed to be needlessly loitering. 

By this time Rachel had reached the well, 
and now Jacob ran and lifted off the heavy 
stone and himself drew water for Rachel's 
flock. 

He may have seen in her sweet face some 
look that reminded him of his mother, for he 
loved her at first sight. He told her that he 
was her near kinsman, Rebekah's son, and 

9 8 



JACOB AND LABAN 

then with a kinsman's privilege he kissed her 
and lifted up his voice and wept. 

Quickly the good news spread. It ran like 
lightning from one to another and even before 
Rachel hurried home to tell her father, Laban 
had some inkling of what had happened. 
Laban welcomed Jacob joyfully, embraced 
him, kissed him and brought him into his 
home. 

Jacob soon took charge of Laban's great 
flocks and herds, and when Laban wanted to 
pay him he said, Do not offer me money. I 
will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy 
younger daughter. 

It is better, said Laban, that I give her to 
thee than to another man. Abide with me. 

Seven years passed, Jacob toiled in sun and 
drought, in frost and cold, by night and by 
day, but he did not mind hard work. The 
seven years seemed to him but a few days, so 
dearly did he love Rachel. 

Do you remember how Jacob deceived and 
cheated his old father, Isaac, securing the 
birthright and the blessing by a trick? Well, 
he was to be cheated and deceived himself 

99 



THE STORY BIBLE 

many a time in the days to come by those of 
his own family. I am sure he would remem- 
ber his sin and feel that his punishment was 
just when again and again he was deceived. 

At the end of seven years there was a 
wedding feast and Jacob was married as he 
thought to the maiden he worshipped. He 
had toiled for her seven years and they had 
seemed to him but a few days on account of 
the love he bore her. According to Eastern 
custom, the bride was brought to her husband 
completely hidden by a great opaque veil and 
he could not so much as have a single peep 
at her face till they were married. 

Lo and behold, when the ceremony was over 
and the feast finished and the guests gone 
away, Jacob discovered that his bride was not 
Rachel, but her elder sister Leah, at whom he 
had never glanced twice in his life. Leah was 
as plain as Rachel was fair and her face was 
disfigured by weak eyes which grew red with 
crying when she now saw Jacob look at her 
with anger and disdain. 

I may as well tell you that in those old times 
a man often had several wives. But Abraham 

ioo 



JACOB AND LABAN 

and Isaac had been contented with one wife, 
and Jacob had meant to follow their example. 
He wished Rachel for his bride, Rachel and 
not Leah. 

What is this that you have done? he said 
to Laban in great displeasure. This is not 
my Rachel. Why have you palmed off Leah 
on me and beguiled me in this mean and 
treacherous way? 

Smoothly Laban answered him, smoothly 
and without excitement, as if to say, What a 
fuss you are making about nothing! 

It is not customary in our country to let a 
younger sister marry first. If you still want 
Rachel, serve me for her seven years more and 
you shall have her too. I have given you the 
elder daughter, but you shall have her sister 
if you agree to my bargain. 

So Jacob served another seven years. Then 
he had two wives, Leah and Rachel, but he 
loved Rachel with his whole heart and he 
never cared very much about Leah. 

In due time, when Jacob had children and 
had also become a rich man with flocks and 
herds of his own, he felt the old home-longing 

IOI 



THE STORY BIBLE 

tugging at his heart and decided to return to 
the place from which he had come, to go back 
to the land of Canaan. 

So he assembled his household and they 
started on their way. Knowing that Laban 
would try to hinder his going, he stole away, 
and his caravan had gone some distance be- 
fore Laban found out his departure. 

Jacob had three days' start before his father- 
in-law found out that he was gone. Instantly 
he set forth in pursuit, for he did not wish 
Jacob to leave him nor was he willing to lose 
the advantage of Jacob's knowledge and his 
faithful toil. Besides, both Laban and his 
sons were jealous of Jacob's increasing wealth. 

They went forth in a mood of fierce anger, 
but God warned Laban in a dream to let Jacob 
alone. Speak not to him either good or bad, 
said the Lord in this dream. 

Rachel had stolen from her father some 
images that he prized, images that were his 
household gods, for he was in part an idolater. 
She had secreted them in her clothing but 
Jacob did not suspect it. 

At Gilead, Laban saw the encampment of 
1 02 



JACOB AND LABAN 

Jacob. So he pitched his tents a little way 
off. 

And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou 
done that thou hast stolen away from me, and 
carried away my two daughters, as captives 
taken with the sword? 

Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly and 
steal away from me, and didst not tell me that 
I might have sent thee away with mirth and 
with songs, with tabret and with harp? 

Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my 
daughters, nor the little ones. Thou hast be- 
haved unkindly and with folly. 

It is in the power of my hand to do thee 
hurt; but the God of my father spake unto 
me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed 
that thou speak not to Jacob either good or 
bad. 

And now, though thou art weary to be 
gone, because thou wouldst see again thy 
father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen 
my gods? 

And Jacob answered and said to Laban, I 
stole away because I was afraid; for I said, 
Peradventure thou wouldst take by force thy 

103 



THE STORY BIBLE 

daughters from me. But he went on to say, 
I know nothing about thy gods. If any one 
in my company has stolen them, let him be put 
to death. Search until the gods are found. 
Jacob had no thought that Rachel had them 
with her in the tent. She sat comfortably on 
her cushions with the idols underneath her 
and of course the images were quite safe. 
Laban could not find them. He stormed 
around and gave everybody trouble, but at 
last he gave up the search. 

Naturally Jacob resented this behavior of 
Laban's and he said, chidingly, What is my 
trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so 
hotly pursued after me? 

Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, 
what hast thou found of all thy household 
stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy 
brethren that they may judge between us 
both. 

This twenty years have I been with thee; 
the flocks of sheep and goats have been in my 
care and nothing has perished. 

That which was torn of beasts I brought not 
unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand 

104 



JACOB AND LABAN 

didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or 
stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the 
drought consumed me and the frost by night; 
and my sleep departed from mine eyes. 

I have been twenty full years in thy house; 
I served thee fourteen years for thy two 
daughters and six years for thy cattle; and 
thou hast changed my wages ten times. 

Unless the God of my father, the God of 
Abraham and the fear of Isaac had been with 
me, surely thou hadst now sent me away 
empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the 
labor of my hands and rebuked thee yester- 
night. 

Then Laban answered and said to Jacob: 
These daughters are my daughters and these 
children are my children and these cattle are 
my cattle and all that thou hast is mine; and 
what can I do this day unto these my 
daughters or unto their children? 

Now therefore come thou, let us make a 
covenant, I and thou ; and let it be for a witness 
between me and thee. 

And Jacob took a stone and set it up for a 
pillar. 

105 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather 
stones; and they took stones and made a 
heap; and they did eat there upon the heap. 

Having broken bread together they were 
once more friends and Laban turned toward his 
home while Jacob proceeded on his journey. 



106 



XII 
JACOB MEETS ESAU 

TWENTY years have gone over the heads 
of Jacob and Esau since last they met. 
The feud that raged between them when they 
parted had never been peacefully settled. So 
far as Jacob knew, his brother Esau still 
nursed his wrath and meant to kill him when 
he should appear in Canaan. Knowing and 
fearing this, Jacob yet went back, for was 
not his birthright in the land of Canaan and 
did he not hear the voice of God bidding him 
seek the land of Abraham and Isaac? 

There were two natures struggling in Jacob. 
One was a lofty nature that was looking up to 
heaven and out of self. The other was a 
craven nature that was cowardly and sordid 
and was always trying to grasp whatever it 
could for selfish ends. You and I need not 
look down on Jacob, for in us there are often 
two natures and they struggle for the victory 
as they did in Jacob. We sometimes say that 

107 



THE STORY BIBLE 

the good angel is uppermost in a child to-day 
or that the bad angel has taken hold of him. 
All our lives this fight between good and bad 
will be going on. We need forever to ask God 
to help us so that the good shall triumph. 

Jacob understood this. We find that he 
often spent hours in prayer to God for help. 
Nightly he prayed under the stars when the 
camp was fast asleep and sometimes God's 
angels met and comforted him. 

Thinking of Esau, Jacob decided to concil- 
iate him by sending him a kind message. 
Esau was now a desert Sheik living in the 
fastnesses of the rocks in Seir, in the country 
of Edom. He had an armed host with him 
and the mountain passes were his property. 
Jacob could not hope to escape Esau's watch. 

If you are like me, dear child, you love to 
read about the brave and hardy soldiers who 
hide in the heather or lie close and still behind 
dark rocks that they may defend their hillside 
homes. In Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the 
Lake, when Fitz- James and Roderick Dhu met 
on Clan Alpine's ground one night, Lowland 
and Highland pitted against one another, 

108 



JACOB MEETS ESAU 

Fitz- James expressed a wish that he might 
some time meet Roderick and his band. 

"Have thou thy wish!", cried the High- 
lander, and gave a shrill whistle which was 
quickly answered. 

Says Sir Walter Scott: 

Instant through copse and heath arose 
Bonnets and spears and bended bows, 
On right, on left, above, below, 
Sprang up at once the lurking foe. 
From shingles gray their lances start: 
The bracken bush sends forth the dart, 
The rushes and the willow wand 
Are bristling into axe and brand. 
And every tuft of brown gives life 
To plaided warrior armed for strife. 

And Kipling in his ballad of East and West, 
which every boy should know, has a word 
picture very much like that of Scott, except 
that his is a picture of a border chieftain in 
India. Says Kamal to his gallant foe: 

There was not a rock for twenty mile, there 

was not a clump of tree 
But covered a man of my own men with his 

rifle cocked on his knee. 
109 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Esau was of the same type; a Bedouin of 
the wild desert, and Jacob knew that to pass 
through Esau's land was to risk all that he 
had. Still only by crossing Edom could he 
reach Canaan. 

So Jacob's messengers went forward. 

And he commanded them saying, Thus shall 
ye speak unto my lord Esau: Thy servant 
Jacob saith thus: I have sojourned with Laban 
and stayed there until now; 

And I have oxen and asses, flocks and men 
servants and women servants; and I have sent 
to tell my lord that I may find grace in thy 
sight. 

And the messengers returned to Jacob, say- 
ing, We came to thy brother Esau and also 
he cometh to meet thee and four hundred men 
with him. 

The answer was enough to frighten Jacob; 
and frightened he was but he did not run 
away. That would have been useless. He di- 
vided his company into two bands so that if 
Esau pounced on one the other might escape, 
and then, having done the best he could, he 
prayed earnestly to God. 

no 



JACOB MEETS ESAU 

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abra- 
ham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord 
who saidst unto me, Return unto thy coun- 
try, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well 
with thee: 

I am not worthy of the least of all the mer- 
cies and of all the truth which thou hast 
shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I 
passed over this Jordan; and now I am be- 
come two bands. 

Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of 
my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear 
him, lest he shall come and smite me and the 
mother with the children. 

And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, 
and make thy seed as the sand of the sea which 
cannot be numbered for multitude. 

That night Jacob selected a magnificent 
present for Esau, a present worthy of a king, 
and sent it before him, making a space be- 
tween drove and drove, so that Esau would be 
pleased and impressed. Two hundred she- 
goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and 
twenty rams. Then, awhile after, thirty 
camels with their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, 

in 



THE STORY BIBLE 

twenty she-asses and ten foals. Drove by 
drove they went. 

And he commanded the leader of the first 
drove, saying, When Esau, my brother, 
meeteth thee and asketh thee, Who art thou? 
and whither goest thou? and whose are these 
before thee? 

Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant 
Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau; 
and, behold, also he is behind us. 

And so commanded he the second, and the 
third, and all that followed the droves, saying, 
On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, 
when ye find him. 

And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant 
Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease 
him with the present that goes before me and 
afterward I will see his face; peradventure he 
will accept of me. 

So went the present over before him; and 
himself lodged that night in the company. 

In the night Jacob took his wives and his 
children and softly and stealthily passed with 
them over the brook Jabbok, and there, leav- 
ing them, he knelt alone by the brook and 

112 



JACOB MEETS ESAU 

prayed until the break of day. He prayed in 
great agony of soul, and it seemed to him as 
if he fought with God for a blessing. God 
heard him and gave him a blessing, changing 
his old name of Jacob, a supplanter, to Israel; 
for as a prince, said the Lord, thou hast had 
power with God and with men and hast pre- 
vailed. 

No wonder that Jacob called that hallowed 
spot by a name that was strangely sacred. He 
called it Peni-el, for he had seen God there, 
he said, face to face, and his life was preserved. 

But after that wrestle Jacob was never alto- 
gether the same. So great had been the con- 
flict that he was lame to the day of his death. 

The morning broke and he met Esau. 

And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, 
and behold, Esau came and with him four hun- 
dred men. And he divided the children unto 
Leah and unto Rachel and unto the two hand- 
maids. 

And he put the handmaids and their chil- 
dren foremost and Leah and her children after 
and Rachel and Joseph behind. 

And he passed over before them and bowed 
ii3 



THE STORY BIBLE 

himself to the ground seven times, until he 
came near to his brother. 

And Esau ran to meet him and embraced 
him and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and 
they wept. 

And he lifted up his eyes and saw the 
women and the children and said, Who are 
those with thee? And he said, The children 
which God hath graciously given thy servant. 

Then the handmaidens came near, they and 
their children, and they bowed themselves. 

And Leah also with her children came near 
and bowed themselves; and after came Joseph 
near and Rachel and they bowed themselves. 

And he said, What meanest thou by all this 
drove which I met? And he said, These are to 
find grace in the sight of my lord. 

And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; 
keep that thou hast unto thyself. 

And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I 
have found grace in thy sight, then receive my 
present at my hand : for therefore I have seen 
thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, 
and thou wert pleased with me. 

Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is 
114 



JACOB MEETS ESAU 

brought to thee; because God hath dealt gra- 
ciously with thee and because I have enough. 
And he urged him and he took it. 

And he said, Let us take our journey and let 
us go and I will go before thee. 

And he said unto him, My lord knoweth 
that the children are tender and the flocks and 
herds with young are with me; and if men 
should overdrive them one day all the flock 
will die. 

Let my lord, I pray thee, pass before his 
servant; and I will lead on softly, according 
as the cattle that go before me and the chil- 
dren be able to endure, until I come unto my 
lord unto Seir. 

And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee 
some of the folk that are with me. And he 
said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the 
sight of my lord. 

So Esau returned that day on his way to 
Seir. He went back with his armed men. 

Esau and Jacob were friends from that time, 
and when Isaac died, being very old and full 
of years, his sons buried him. 

But for hundreds of years, long after both 

US 



THE STORY BIBLE 

these brothers were asleep with their fathers, 
the children of Esau annoyed the children of 
Israel and most of the troubles the latter had 
to bear started somewhere in the wilderness 
holds of Edom. 



116 



XIII 
JOSEPH THE DREAMER 

TWELVE sons called Jacob father and a 
goodly number of sturdy men they 
were. But only two of them called Rachel 
mother. Of these two, Joseph and Benjamin, 
the first was his father's great favorite and 
Jacob showed the lad so partial a love that it 
brought on him the enmity of his older broth- 
ers. Joseph was loved because he was 
Rachel's boy and because he was very lovable 
and charming, a youth of rare qualities. His 
father showed his pride in him openly and 
gave him a rich and elegant coat woven in 
many colors, something finer than he had ever 
given Reuben or Judah, Simeon or Naphtali, 
Levi or Dan. The others envied Joseph his 
fine coat and his place in his father's love and 
Joseph was not very prudent in his manner 
toward them. They were older than he and 

117 



THE STORY BIBLE 

were provoked and vexed at the things he 
said. Sometimes, too, he told his father about 
things they did and Jacob reproved them; and 
the sum of the whole matter was that the more 
Jacob loved Joseph the more his ten older 
brothers hated him. They could not speak 
peaceably to him. 

The little brother Benjamin seems not to 
have aroused anybody's anger. Rachel, his 
mother, died when he was born, and she was 
buried in Bethlehem. She said when she was 
dying that the baby's name should be Benoni, 
son of my sorrow, but his father said, No, I 
will give him another name; and he was called 
Benjamin, son of my right hand. He was but 
an infant when some of his tall brothers were 
bearded men. 

The ten kept their flocks and were often 
away from home for days together. Some- 
times Joseph was with them. Oftener he 
stayed with his father and his little brother. 
He was a thoughtful lad and he had wonder- 
ful dreams. He told the dreams to the others 
and they hated him more than ever when they 
heard them. 

118 



JOSEPH THE DREAMER 

And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, 
this dream which I have dreamed: 

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the 
field and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood 
upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood 
round about and made obeisance to my sheaf. 

And his brethren said unto him, Shalt thou 
reign indeed over us? or shalt thou indeed 
have dominion over us? And they hated him 
yet the more for his dreams and for his words. 

And he dreamed yet another dream, and 
told it to his brethren and said, Behold, I have 
dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun 
and the moon and the eleven stars made 
obeisance to me. 

And he told it to his father and to his 
brothers; and his father rebuked him and said 
unto him, What is this dream that thou hast 
dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy 
brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves 
to thee to the earth? 

And his brothers envied him, but his father 
observed the saying. 

It was some time after the incident of the 
dreams that Joseph, a lad of seventeen, was 

119 



THE STORY BIBLE 

sent by his father to visit his brethren who had 
gone a good distance off with their flocks and 
told to bring back tidings of them. The boy, 
bright, brave and manly, bowed low to his 
father and kissed him and the father watched 
him proudly until a turn of the road hid him 
from view. 

Years were to pass, slow and sad and bitter 
years, before that father and that son should 
meet again. 

For this was what happened. 

The boy did not immediately find his broth- 
ers. They had gone far, their great flocks 
needing pasture or the wells being dry, and it 
was not till a stranger told him that they had 
gone to Dothan, much farther off than She- 
chem, that he came up with them. 

Far off they saw him and their hearts were 
filled with the blackest envy and the most cruel 
hate. Long before he came near they put their 
heads together, conspiring wickedly to kill the 
boy. 

Look, they said, look, it is Joseph, his 
father's darling. But Israel cannot help him 
now. Behold this dreamer of dreams. 

120 



JOSEPH THE DREAMER 

Come, they said, let us kill him and throw 
his body into a pit, and then we will make 
Israel think that a wild beast caught him and 
devoured him. 

No plot could have been more full of malice. 
Hard as stones were the hearts of these wicked 
men. 

Reuben, the oldest brother, was not so hard 
as the rest. He did not want to kill the boy. 
He thought he would persuade them merely 
to cast him alive into a pit and leave him there. 
Then he meant to go back, save him, and take 
him home to his father. But Reuben's kind 
thought was never carried out. 

The brothers fell on Joseph with the fury 
of wolves and bears and stripped him of his 
beautiful gay coat, taunting and jeering him 
with scornful words. Into a deep hole, the 
hole where had been a well now dry, they 
roughly threw him, a weary, hungry, heart 
broken boy and then they sat down to supper, 
laughing no doubt over their cruel deed. 
Reuben had no hand in what followed next. 
He did not sit down to eat bread with the 
others, for he felt, as the oldest, a responsibil- 

121 



THE STORY BIBLE 

ity for Joseph. Very likely he had sons of 
his own as old as this young brother whom 
the sons of Jacob were so bent on killing. 
They at that time meant to leave him there to 
perish. Not one of them shared Reuben's 
kinder intention. 

Here is the next step in the story. 

As they were eating they looked up and saw 
a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead 
with camels bearing spicery and balm and 
myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 

Egypt at this time was a very rich country 
where the people, not being shepherds, bought 
and sold goods and where there was a great 
deal of trading going on. Slaves too were 
bought in the markets of Egypt. Judah 
thought why not sell our brother, instead of 
leaving him to die? After all, he said, he is our 
brother. There is no profit in killing him. 
Let us sell him to these merchantmen. We 
shall make money by the transaction and there 
will be an end forever of Joseph and his 
dreams. 

The rest, Reuben being absent, easily 
agreed to this; the Ishmaelites speedily drew 

122 



JOSEPH THE DREAMER 

the lad out of the pit and willingly paid the 
brothers twenty pieces of silver for him. 
Away they went to Egypt and the wicked 
brothers divided the money and were con- 
tented. They had not even pity for poor 
Joseph, carried off into slavery. 

But Reuben came back and was dreadfully 
distressed when he heard the tale. He rent 
his clothes and lamented with tears. Still he 
did not feel enough real sorrow to tell his 
father the truth when they all went home 
without Joseph. He said, The child is not, 
and I, whither shall I go? 

Poor Reuben! His fault was that he was 
very weak of will though he had a kinder heart 
than the rest. This is what they did. 

They took Joseph's coat and killed a kid and 
dipped the coat in the blood. 

And they brought the coat oi many colors 
to their father and said, This have we found: 
know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. 

And he knew it and said, It is my son's coat; 
an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is 
without doubt rent in pieces. 

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sack- 
123 



THE STORY BIBLE 

cloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son 
many days. 

And all his sons and all his daughters rose 
up to comfort him; but he refused to be com- 
forted; and he said, For I will go down into 
the grave unto my son, mourning. Thus his 
father wept for him. 

But the Midianites sold Joseph into Egypt 
to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's and Cap- 
tain of the Guard. 



124 



XIV 
JOSEPH IN PRISON 

YOU would never expect that a poor un- 
known lad from a far off country sold 
as a slave in the market would fall under the 
notice of the greatest king in the world, but 
that is the very thing that happened. Had 
Joseph been bought by Pharaoh, he might 
never have been more than a servant in the 
palace kitchen, and Potiphar, a bluff soldier, 
Captain of the king's Guard, probably bought 
him only because he was pleased with his mod- 
est looks and thought he could be of use. 

But, my child, though Joseph was sold into 
Egypt, he was not sold away from the Lord. 
The Lord was with him. The Lord made 
everything he did to prosper. The Lord gave 
him success. Before very long this Hebrew 
boy, who had brains and prudence, in whom 
was the brave spirit of Abraham and the gen- 
tle heart of Isaac, and the shrewd wit of Jacob, 

125 



THE STORY BIBLE 

was at the head of Potiphar's household. He 
was a slave, it is true, but he was trusted, and 
had charge of the accounts, the buying, the 
selling, and the management of all Potiphar's 
affairs. 

But for the fact that he offended Potiphar's 
wife, who told lies about him to her husband, 
he might always have remained with the bluff 
Captain of the Guard. But Potiphar's wife 
with her lying speech so wrought on Poti- 
phar that his wrath was kindled and he threw 
him bound into the king's prison, a perfectly 
dreadful place whence very few prisoners ever 
came out alive. 

But the Lord went with him to the prison. 
The Lord was leading Joseph by a pathway 
of his own. He did not mean him to stay in 
the prison but he wanted him to be there long 
enough to forget any pride he had hitherto 
had and to think once more about the God of 
his fathers. 

The keeper of the prison liked Joseph and 
gave him as many privileges as he could. The 
other prisoners liked him, for he was ready to 
serve them. Among the prisoners were two 

126 



JOSEPH IN PRISON 

from Pharaoh's household, his chief butler and 
his chief baker. 

Probably both had been suspected and ac- 
cused of trying to poison the king, for the 
monarchs of the East were always afraid that 
there might be death in the wine they drank 
and the dishes they ate. The chief baker was 
the man who presided over the palace kitchen. 
The chief butler took charge of the wines that 
Pharaoh drank at feasts and offered him the 
cup. Both these men had people around who 
spied upon them and were anxious to ruin 
them if they could. When Pharaoh was angry 
with them neither of them had much reason 
to expect that they would see the palace or the 
sunlight any more. 

Those were the days of dreams, and if any- 
one had a remarkable dream he tried very 
hard to find out what message it had brought 
him. One night a dream visited each of 
them. 

And Joseph came in to them in the morn- 
ing and looked on them and, behold, they were 
sad. 

And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were 
127 



THE STORY BIBLE 

with him in the ward of his lord's house, say- 
ing, Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day? 

And they said unto him, We have dreamed 
a dream and there is no interpreter of it. And 
Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations 
belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. 

And the chief butler told his dream to 
Joseph and said to him, In my dream, behold, 
a vine was before me. 

And in the vine were three branches; and it 
was as though it budded and her blossoms shot 
forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth 
ripe grapes. 

And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I 
took the grapes and pressed them into 
Pharaoh's cup and I gave the cup into Pha- 
raoh's hand. 

And Joseph said to him, This is the inter- 
pretation of it: The three branches are three 
days. 

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up 
thine head and restore thee unto thy place; 
and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his 
hand after the former manner when thou wast 
his butler. 

128 



JOSEPH IN PRISON 

But think on me when it shall be well with 
thee and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, 
and make mention of me unto Pharaoh and 
bring me out of this house; 

For indeed I was stolen away out of the land 
of the Hebrews; and here also have I done 
nothing that they should put me into the 
dungeon. 

When the chief baker saw that the inter- 
pretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also 
was in my dream and, behold, I had three 
white baskets on my head; 

And in the uppermost basket there was all 
manner of baked meats for Pharaoh; and the 
birds did eat them out of the basket upon my 
head. 

And Joseph answered and said, This is the 
interpretation thereof: The three baskets are 
three days. ; * 

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up 
thy head from off thee and shall hang thee on 
a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from 
off thee. 

And it came to pass the third day, which 
was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast 

129 



THE STORY BIBLE 

unto all his servants; and he lifted up the head 
of the chief butler and of the chief baker 
among his servants. 

And he restored the chief butler again, and 
he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. 

But he hanged the chief baker as Joseph had 
interpreted to them. 

Think on me, Joseph had said to the chief 
butler, think on me when thou art restored to 
favor and mention me to Pharaoh. For I was 
stolen away from the land of the Hebrews. 

It was very ungrateful in the butler, safe out 
of the dungeon, to forget Joseph so soon, but 
that is too often the way of the world. 



130 



XV 
DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE 

PHARAOH was the greatest king on earth, 
but he was not so great that dreams 
could not trouble him. After the chief butler 
went back to his place, and while poor Joseph 
still stayed in the dungeon, forgotten, Pharaoh 
one night dreamed and the dreams made him 
unhappy. He was sure they meant something 
very important but he could not decide what 
this might be and none of his wise men could 
tell him. Shall we wonder that everybody 
around was disturbed, when the king went 
frowning and muttering about the palace, re- 
fusing to eat and scolding about trifles till 
nobody knew what would happen? Pharaoh 
could do exactly what he pleased, which is a 
very bad thing for any one, whether he is a 
king or just a simple person like one of us. 
You may think, my children, that it is a fine 
thing to have your own way but, believe me, 
it is not. Often it is the worst thing that can 

131 



THE STORY BIBLE 

occur to poor men and women, as it would be 
to boys and girls, to be able to carry out every 
caprice and whim. Pharaoh could by a word 
take a poor prisoner out of a cell and make him 
the first nobleman in the land, or he could, 
with a word, without a trial, order a dozen 
men's heads cut off. 

Shall we read this wonderful story of 
dreams that came true, Joseph's old dreams 
when a happy boy at home and Pharaoh's 
dreams on his soft couch, as they are written 
for us in the Bible? 

The river spoken of in Pharaoh's dream is 
the River Nile. 

And it came to pass, at the end of two full 
years, that Pharaoh dreamed; and, behold, he 
stood by the river. 

And, behold, there came up out of the river 
seven well favored kine and fatfleshed; and 
they fed in a meadow. 

And, behold, seven other kine came up after 
them out of the river, ill favored and lean- 
fleshed, and stood by the other kine upon the 
brink of the river. 

And the ill favored and leanfleshed kine did 
132 



DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE 

eat up the seven well favored and fat kine. So 
Pharaoh awoke. 

And he slept and dreamed the second time; 
and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon 
one stalk, rank and good. 

And behold, seven thin ears and blasted with 
the east wind sprung up after them. 

And the seven thin ears devoured the seven 
rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke and, 
behold, it was a dream. 

And it came to pass in the morning that his 
spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for 
all the magicians of Egypt and all the wise 
men thereof; and Pharaoh told them his 
dreams ; but there was none that could interpret 
them unto Pharaoh. 

Then spoke the chief butler unto Pharaoh, 
saying, I do remember my faults this day: 

Pharaoh was wroth with his servant and 
put me in ward in the house of the captain of 
the guard, both me and the chief baker: 

And we dreamed a dream in one night, I 
and he; we dreamed each man according to 
the interpretation of his dream. 

And there was there with us a young man, 
133 



THE STORY BIBLE 

an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the 
guard; and we told him and he interpreted to 
us our dreams; to each man according to his 
dream did he interpret. 

And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, 
so it was; me he restored to mine office and 
him he hanged. 

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and 
they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; 
and he shaved himself and changed his rai- 
ment and came in unto Pharaoh. 

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have 
dreamed a dream and there is none that can 
interpret it; and I have heard of thee that 
thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. 

And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It 
is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an 
answer of peace. 

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my 
dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the 
river: 

And, behold, there came up out of the river 
seven kine, fatfleshed and well favored; and 
they fed in a meadow. 

And, behold, seven other kine came up after 
134 



DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE 

them, poor and very ill favored and lean- 
fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of 
Egypt for badness: 

And the lean and ill favored kine did eat 
up the first seven fat kine. 

And when they had eaten them up it could 
not be known that they had eaten them; but 
they were still ill favored, as at the beginning. 
So I awoke. 

And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven 
ears came up in one stalk, full and good : 

And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin and 
blasted with the east wind, sprung up after 
them. 

And the thin ears devoured the seven good 
ears; and I told this unto the magicians, but 
there was none that could declare it to me. 

And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream 
of Pharaoh is one : God hath showed Pharaoh 
what he is about to do. 

The seven good kine are seven years and 
the seven good ears are seven years: the dream 
is one. 

And the seven thin and ill favored kine that 
came up after them are seven years and the 

135 



THE STORY BIBLE 

seven empty ears blasted with the east wind 
shall be seven years of famine. 

This is the thing which I have spoken unto 
Pharaoh : What God is about to do he showeth 
unto Pharaoh. 

Behold, there come seven years of great 
plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. 

And there shall arise after them seven years 
of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten 
in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall con- 
sume the land; 

And the plenty shall not be known in the 
land by reason of that famine following; for 
it shall be very grievous. 

And for that the dream was repeated unto 
Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is estab- 
lished by God and God will shortly bring it 
to pass. 

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man, 
discreet and wise, and set him over the land 
of Egypt. 

Let Pharaoh do this and let him appoint of- 
ficers over the land and take up the fifth part 
of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous 
years. 

136 



DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE 

And let them gather all the food of those 
good years that come, and lay up corn under 
the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food 
in the cities. 

And that food shall be for store to the land 
against the seven years of famine which shall 
be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish 
not through the famine. 



137 



XVI 
JOSEPH IN POWER 

THE wisdom and modesty of the young 
Hebrew pleased Pharaoh very much. 
He listened, he approved and he decided with- 
out any slow delay or waiting to consult and 
consider. 

What Joseph recommended was good in the 
eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his 
servants, courtiers and wise men. 

He said to those around him, What better 
can we do than to accept what Joseph has 
said? Can we find such a one as this, a man 
in whom the spirit of God is? 

They talked aside for a few minutes, while 
Joseph stood apart. What thoughts went 
through his mind, who can tell? Was he to 
go back to his dungeon? Would Pharaoh re- 
lease him and give him some little post of 
service? Would Pharaoh perhaps let him go 
back again to the old father in the land of 
Canaan? 

Joseph stood there, wondering, but he did 
138 



JOSEPH IN POWER 

not have to wait long. Pharaoh called him 
and he knelt at the foot of the throne. But 
the monarch lifted him up and Joseph heard 
him saying, as if in a dream, yet knowing him- 
self wide awake, 

Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this 
there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 

Thou shalt be over my house and according 
unto thy word shall all my people be ruled; 
only on the throne will I be greater than thou. 

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have 
set thee over all the land of Egypt. 

Then with the royal oath, he said, I am 
Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift 
up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 

As Joseph was now prime minister of the 
richest country in the world and his power 
was next to that of the king it was needful, 
the king thought, that he should have a wife. 
The king picked out a lovely maiden whose 
name was Asenath, not a daughter of the com- 
mon people, but a girl whose father was a 
priest of Pharaoh's religion. The priests were 
scholars and noblemen, so Joseph was married 
to a wife who could give him any help he 

139 



THE STORY BIBLE 

needed in the knowledge of everyday ways 
among the learned people of Egypt. 

But the Lord was with him and this was 
the best thing of all. 

By this time Joseph was thirty years old. 
He was a thoughtful man and he went about 
his work as a man should, with diligence. He 
went all over Egypt and explored the country 
thoroughly. 

All happened as he had said it would. In 
the seven plentiful years the crops were large. 
The earth brought forth by handfuls. 

Joseph gathered up all the food of the seven 
good years which were in the land of Egypt, 
and laid up the food in the cities; the harvest 
of the field which was around every city he 
laid up in the same. 

And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the 
sea, very much, until he stopped numbering it; 
for it was beyond counting. 

During these years of joy and wealth two 
little sons came into Joseph's home, Manasseh 
and Ephraim. As he looked in their little 
faces he gave God thanks for the great kind- 
ness He had shown him in the strange land. 

140 



JOSEPH IN POWER 

But hardly had these children grown old 
enough to climb on their father's knee when 
the years of plenty ended and the years of 
famine came. 

Seven years of plenty! Seven years of 
famine ! You don't know what famine means, 
dear child. But there are children in the world 
who do. Blue-eyed children in Finland, dark- 
eyed children in India, have known what it 
means to be hungry, day after day, so hun- 
gry that they grew too weak to cry for food. 
In famine children have starved and died. No 
food for the mother and the baby! No food 
for the workingman! No food for the cattle! 

This state of things, a state of want and 
misery, followed the years of plenty and ex- 
tended over the whole known world. There 
was corn in Egypt and the people there had 
bread enough for themselves and bread 
enough to sell to others. The story of this 
went far and wide and presently caravans be- 
gan to arrive in Egypt, men bringing gold and 
silver and gems to offer in exchange for 
Egypt's precious corn. Laid up in Egypt's 
granaries and storehouses by Joseph's prudent 

141 



THE STORY BIBLE 

care, there it was, plenty of corn to feed the 
hungry world. 

When first the scarcity was felt in Egypt, 
the people there did not realize what had been 
done and they went to Pharaoh, as to a father, 
begging for help. 

Go to Joseph, he said, Do whatever he tells 
you to do. 

Then Joseph opened the storehouses and 
sold the grain and the dread of the famine left 
the hearts of the people. The good news was 
carried to other lands, not as it would be now, 
by printing press and telegraph, but by word 
of mouth, by one man telling another, and one 
day Jacob heard it in the old home in Canaan. 



142 



XVII 
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN 

WHEN you read the rest of Joseph's 
story you must not forget that these 
brothers who came down to Egypt were the 
very ones who had thrown Joseph into the 
empty pit and then sold him into slavery. 
They came to Egypt to buy corn, bringing 
money to pay for it, the famine being sore in 
their country. They did not bring Benjamin. 
His father did not like to trust his youngest 
son in their care. Benjamin was very dear 
to him, now that he had lost Joseph. 

Joseph was as you know the governor over 
the land, and it was he who sold to all the peo- 
ple of the land; and Joseph's brethren came, 
and bowed down themselves before him with 
their faces to the earth. 

And Joseph saw his brethren and he knew 
them, but made himself strange to them and 
spoke roughly to them; and he said coldly, 
Whence come ye? And they said, From the 

143 



THE STORY BIBLE 

land of Canaan to buy food. The Bible says 
that Joseph knew his brethren and they knew 
him not. And Joseph remembered the dreams 
which he had dreamed and said unto them, 
Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land 
ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay, 
my lord, but to buy food are thy servants 
come. We are all one man's sons; we are true 
men, thy servants are no spies. And he said 
unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of 
the land ye are come. And they said, Thy 
servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one 
man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the 
youngest is this day with our father and one is 
not. 

And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I 
spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies. 

Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of 
Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, unless 
your youngest brother come hither. 

Send one of you and let him fetch your 
brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that 
your words may be proved, whether there be 
any truth in you; or else by the life of Pharaoh 
surely ye are spies. 

144 



JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN 

And he put them together into prison three 
days. 

And Joseph said unto them the third day, 
This do, and live; for I fear God. If ye be true 
men, let one of your brethren be bound in the 
house of your prison; go ye, carry corn for the 
famine of your houses; but bring your young- 
est brother unto me; so shall your words be 
verified and ye shall not die. And they 
did so. 

It seems strange that these brothers sus- 
pected nothing when the grave and powerful 
personage they bowed down before asked so 
many questions, and so insisted on their re- 
turn with their brother. But they could not 
connect this stately man with the lad they had 
abused and sent into slavery. Yet conscience 
stirred within them, and they said sorrowfully 
to one another, 

We are verily guilty concerning our brother, 
in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when 
he besought us, and we would not hear; there- 
fore is this distress come upon us. 

Then Reuben answered them, saying, Said 
I not unto you, Do not sin against the child; 

145 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also 
his blood is required. 

And they knew not that Joseph understood 
them; for he talked with them through an in- 
terpreter. 

And he turned himself about from them, and 
wept; and returned to them again and com- 
muned with them and took from them Simeon 
and bound him before their eyes. 

Joseph gave some strange orders about 
these men, but they were at once obeyed, for 
none of the Egyptians questioned any com- 
mand of Joseph's. 

Joseph ordered men to fill their sacks with 
corn and to restore every man's money to his 
sack and to give them provision for the way; 
and thus did he do unto them. 

So they loaded their beasts with corn and 
departed thence. 

And as one of them opened his sack to give 
his ass provender in the inn, he espied his 
money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. 
And he said to his brethren, My money is 
restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack; and 
their heart failed them and they were afraid, 

146 



JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN 

saying one to another, What is this that God 
hath done unto us? 

When the travelers reached home at last 
they had a remarkable story to relate to the 
good old man who waited for them there. He 
had been very anxious, for they had been long 
away. The three days in prison had detained 
them, and they came home, drooping and wor- 
ried and weary. They told Jacob, The man 
who is the lord of the land spoke roughly to us 
and took us for spies of the country. 

And we said unto him, We are true men; 
we are no spies. 

We be twelve brethren, sons of one father; 
one is not and the youngest is this day with 
our father in the land of Canaan. 

And the man, the lord of the country, said 
to us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true 
men; leave one of your brethren here with me, 
and take food for the famine of your house- 
holds and be gone; 

And bring your youngest brother to me; 
then shall I know that ye are no spies but 
that ye are true men; so will I deliver you 
your brother and ye shall traffic in the land. 

147 



THE STORY BIBLE 

They opened their sacks of grain, and, lo, 
every man's bundle of money was in his sack, 
and when they saw it and their father saw it, 
they were afraid. 

And Joseph their father said unto them, Me 
have ye bereaved of my children; Joseph is not 
and Simeon is not and ye will take Benjamin 
away; all these things are against me. 

But Reuben pleaded with his father, saying, 
Slay my two sons if I bring him not to thee; 
deliver him into my hand and I will bring him 
to thee again. 

And he said, My son shall not go down with 
you; for his brother is dead and he is left 
alone; if mischief befall him by the way in 
which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray 
hairs with sorrow to the grave. 



148 



XVIII 
THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN 

THE famine was sore in the land of 
Canaan. The first supply of corn was 
eaten and the little children were again be- 
ginning to cry for food. 

Jacob said to his sons, Go again to Egypt 
and buy us a little food. 

But Judah said earnestly, The man did 
solemnly protest unto us, saying, You shall 
not see my face except your brother be with 
you. 

If thou wilt send our brother with us we will 
go down and buy thee food; 

But if thou wilt not send him, we will not 
go down; for the man said unto us, You shall 
not see my face except your brother be with 
you. 

And Israel said, Wherefore dealt you so ill 
with me as to tell the man that you had yet 
a brother? 

149 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And they said unto him, The man asked us 
straitly of our state and of our kindred, say- 
ing, Is your father yet alive? have you another 
brother? and we told him according to the 
tenor of these words; could we certainly know 
that he would say, Bring your brother down? 

And Judah said to Israel his father, Send 
the lad with me and we will arise and go; that 
we may live and not die, both we and thou 
and also our little ones. 

I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt 
thou require him; if I bring him not unto thee 
and set him before thee then let me bear the 
blame forever. 

For except we had lingered, surely now we 
had returned this second time. 

Then Israel their father answered, If it 
must be so now, do this: take the best fruits 
in the land in your vessels and carry down the 
man a present, a little balm and a little honey, 
spices, and myrrh, nuts and almonds : 

And take double money in your hand; and 
the money that was brought again in the 
mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your 
hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 

150 



THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN 

Take also your brother, and arise, go again 
to the man: 

And God Almighty give you mercy before 
the man that he may send away your other 
brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of 
my children, I am bereaved. 

So they went again carrying the gifif with 
them, carrying the double money and taking 
Benjamin. They went down to Egypt and 
stood before Joseph. 

And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them 
he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these 
men home and slay and make ready; for these 
men shall dine with me at noon. 

And the man did as Joseph bade and 
brought the men into Joseph's house. 

And the men were afraid because they were 
brought into Joseph's house; and they said, 
Because of the money that was returned in 
our sacks at the first time we are brought in; 
that he may seek occasion against us and fall 
upon us and take us for bondmen and seize 
our asses. 

And they came near to the steward of 

151 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Joseph's house and they communed with him 
at the door of the house, 

And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the 
first time to buy food: 

And it came to pass, when we came to the 
inn, that we opened our sacks and, behold, 
every man's money was in the mouth of his 
sack, our money in full weight; and we have 
brought it again in our hand. 

And other money have we brought down in 
our hands to buy food; we cannot tell who put 
our money in our sacks. 

The steward said, Peace be to you, fear not; 
your God and the God of your father hath 
given you treasure in your sacks; I had your 
money. He brought Simeon out to them, 
Simeon who had been held as a hostage. 

Next they were conducted into Joseph's 
house and water was given them, and they 
washed their feet; and the man gave their 
asses provender. 

And they made ready the present against 
Joseph should come at noon; for they heard 
that they should eat bread there. 

And when Joseph came home they brought 

152 



THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN 

him the present which was in their hand and 
bowed themselves before him to the earth. 

And he asked them of their welfare and said, 
Is your father well, the old man of whom ye 
spoke? Is he yet alive? 

And they answered, Thy servant our father 
is in good health; he is yet alive. And they 
bowed down their heads and made obeisance. 

And he lifted up his eyes and saw his 
brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, 
God be gracious unto thee, my son. 

Seeing Benjamin, his mother's son, the 
brother who was his very own and who had 
not had any hand in the old wrong and hate, 
almost overcame Joseph. He went away 
alone and wept. His tears fell fast and they 
washed away the anger that had been in his 
heart. But Joseph had already forgiven his 
brothers. He was too big a man and had too 
big a heart to hold a grudge, still, he felt that 
he must yet further try them. 

They ate by themselves, Joseph sitting at 
his own table, and he sent portions to them all, 
but to Benjamin he sent five times as much as 
to any of the others. 

153 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And now it was time for them to go back 
to Canaan and take Benjamin home to the old 
father. Joseph again ordered his steward to 
fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they 
could possibly carry, and to return every 
man's money. 

But, he said, Put my silver cup into the sack 
of the youngest. 

Very early the next morning, before the sun 
was high in the sky, they started. 

They had not gone very far before pell-mell 
with hurry and haste a company of policemen, 
with Joseph's steward at their head, came pelt- 
ing after them. 

Up, Joseph had said to the steward, follow 
those men, overtake them and ask why have 
they returned evil for good? Inquire why they 
have carried off my silver cup and bring them 
back. 

The steward did as he was bid. Now indeed 
were Joseph's brethren distressed and dis- 
mayed. They declared their innocence. They 
exclaimed, 

God forbid that thy servants should do ac- 
cording to this thing; 

154 



THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN 

Behold, the money, which we found in our 
sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out 
of the land of Canaan; how then should we 
steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? 

With whomsoever of thy servants it be 
found, let him die, and we also will be thy 
lord's bondmen. 

The steward agreed, saying, Now also let it 
be according unto your words; he with whom 
it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be 
blameless. 

Alas! the cup was found — in Benjamin's 
sack. 

With hearts almost breaking, they rent their 
clothes, laded their beasts and all forlorn, they 
returned to the city they had so lately left. 

I fancy that Joseph meant to test them and 
to see whether they were ready to desert Ben- 
jamin and leave him to be a bondman in 
Egypt. He knew they had been capable of 
that wickedness in the old days. He desired 
to try them now. 

But God had changed their hearts. When 
he sternly taxed them with theft, his brother 
Judah stood up valiantly and became the 

155 



THE STORY BIBLE 

champion of them all and made a most elo- 
quent plea for Benjamin. Judah had told his 
father that he would defend Benjamin with his 
life if need be. He now nobly redeemed his 
promise. 

Boldly Judah said, What shall we say unto 
my lord, what shall we speak? or how shall 
we clear ourselves? God hath found out the 
iniquity of thy servant; behold, we are my 
lord's servants, both we and he also with 
whom the cup is found. 

Joseph replied, God forbid that I should do 
so; but the man in whose hand the cup is 
found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, 
get you up in peace unto your father. 

Then Judah came near unto him, and said, 
O my lord, let thy servant I pray thee, speak 
a word in my lord's ears and let not thine 
anger burn against thy servant; for thou art 
even as Pharaoh. 

My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye 
a father, or a brother? 

And we said unto my lord, We have a 
father, an old man, and a child of his old age, 
a little one; and his brother is dead, and he 

156 



THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN 

alone is left of his mother and his father loveth 
him. 

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring 
him down unto me that I may set mine eyes 
upon him. 

And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot 
leave his father; for if he should leave his 
father, his father would die. 

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except 
your youngest brother come down with you 
ye shall see my face no more. 

And it came to pass when we came up unto 
thy servant my father we told him the words 
of my lord. 

And our father said, Go again, and buy us 
a little food. 

And we said, We cannot go down; if our 
youngest brother be with us, then will we go 
down; for we may not see the man's face ex- 
cept our youngest brother be with us. 

And thy servant, my father, said unto us, 
Ye know that my wife bare me two sons; 

And the one went out from me and I said: 
Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not 
since; 

157 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And if ye take this son also from me and 
mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my 
gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 

Now therefore when I go to thy servant, 
my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing 
that his life is bound up in the lad's life; 

It will come to pass, when he seeth that the 
lad is not with us, that he shall die; and thy 
servants shall bring down the gray hairs of 
thy servant our father with sorrow to the 
grave. 

For thy servant became surety for the lad 
unto my father, saying, If I bring him not 
unto thee then will I bear the blame to my 
father forever. 

Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant 
abide, instead of the lad, a bondman to my 
lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 

For how shall I go up to my father and the 
lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see 
the evil that shall come on my father. 



158 



XIX 
I AM JOSEPH 

A T this Joseph could no longer feign 
-*-*- anger. His heart was melted into 
love and forgiveness. He cried out suddenly, 
Cause every man to go away from me. And 
there was not one Egyptian present when he 
made himself known to his brethren. But be- 
fore he spoke his feeling of pity so overcame 
him that he cried aloud. 

In the house of Pharaoh they heard him 
and wondered what had so overcome their 
master. Probably the older ones guessed for 
they knew that, more than twenty years be- 
fore this, Joseph had been a slave, sold away 
from his people and his father's house. 

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am 
Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his 
brethren could not answer him, for they were 
troubled in his presence. 

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come 
near to me, I pray you. And they came near. 

159 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom 
ye sold into Egypt. 

Now therefore, be not grieved, nor angry 
with yourselves that ye sold me hither; for 
God did send me before you to preserve life. 

For these two years hath the famine been 
in the land; and yet there are five years in 
which there shall neither be seed time nor har- 
vest. 

And God sent me before you to preserve 
your families on the earth and to save your 
lives by a great deliverance. 

So now it was not you that sent me hither, 
but God; and he hath made me a father to 
Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler 
throughout all the land of Egypt. 

Haste ye, and go up to my father and say 
unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath 
made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto 
me and tarry not; 

And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, 
and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy 
children and thy children's children and thy 
flocks and thy herds and all that thou hast. 

And there will I nourish thee; for yet there 
1 60 



I AM JOSEPH 

are five years of famine; lest thou and thy 
household and all that thou hast come to pov- 
erty. 

And, behold, your eyes see and the eyes of 
my brother Benjamin that it is my mouth that 
speaketh unto you. 

And ye shall tell my father of all my glory 
in Egypt and of all that ye have seen; and ye 
shall haste and bring down my father hither. 

And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's 
neck and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his 
neck. 

Moreover he kissed all his brethren and 
wept upon them; and after that his brethren 
talked with him. 

The news was brought to Pharaoh's palace 
where men said, Joseph's brethren are come; 
and Pharaoh was very glad. 

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto 
thy brethren, This do; lade your beasts and 
go; get you to the land of Canaan; 

And take your father and your households 
and come unto me; and I will give you the 
good of the land of Egypt; and ye shall eat 
the fat of the land. 

161 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Now art thou commanded, this do: take 
wagons out of the land of Egypt for your 
little ones and for your wives and bring your 
father and come. 

Also regard not your stuff; for the good of 
all the land of Egypt is yours. 

And the children of Israel did this; and 
Joseph gave them wagons, according to the 
commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them 
provisions for the way. 

Also he gave each man a change of raiment; 
but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces 
of silver and five changes of raiment. 

To his aged father he sent after this manner : 
ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt 
and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread 
and meat for his father by the way. 

So he sent his brethren away and they de- 
parted; and he said unto them, See that ye fall 
not out by the way. 

One morning in the old home in Canaan 
Jacob looked forth and saw a great train ap- 
proaching, and when Benjamin, fleet of foot, 
ran ahead and threw his arms about his 
father's neck and the amazing word was said, 

162 



I AM JOSEPH 

Joseph is alive and is ruler of the whole land 
of Egypt, it seemed to him a fairy tale. He 
could not understand it. He grew faint and 
ill. Through weary years he had mourned bit- 
terly for a Joseph who was dead. And now 
they told him Joseph was living. He thought 
they were deceived. But he looked out and 
there were the wagons standing by the door. 
His spirit revived. He believed when he saw 
the wagons. 

Then Jacob said, It is enough; Joseph my 
son is yet alive; I will go and see him before 
I die. 



163 



XX 

JACOB IN EGYPT 

TO an old patriarch like Jacob it was no 
small matter to leave his home and go 
away to live in a land he did not know. It 
was like transplanting an old oak tree. But 
God spoke to him in a vision and told him to 
go. God said, I will go down with thee to 
Egypt and I will surely bring thee up again, 
and Joseph shall surely put his hand on thine 
eyes. 

So Jacob went with all his children and 
grandchildren, a very great company. 

Joseph made ready his chariot and went to 
the border to meet him. They met in the land 
of Goshen. Joseph fell on his father's neck 
and kissed him and Jacob's heart was com- 
forted at last. 

Joseph instructed his family what to say 
when they should be presented to Pharaoh. 
He brought five of the twelve before the king 
and, when the king graciously asked their oc- 
cupation, they said, To sojourn in the land we 

164 



JACOB IN EGYPT 

have come, for the famine is sore in Canaan 
and thy servants have no pasture for their 
flocks. 

Pharaoh was very kind. He said to Joseph, 
The land of Egypt is before thee. In the best 
of it make thy father and thy brethren dwell. 
If any of the men are competent make them 
rulers over my cattle. 

When Joseph brought in his venerable 
father and presented him to Pharaoh, the aged 
Jacob spread out his hands and gave the great 
king his blessing. 

Pharaoh said to Jacob, How old art thou? 

And Jacob answered Pharaoh, The days of 
the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred 
and thirty years; few and evil have the days of 
my life been, and have not attained unto the 
days of the years of the life of my fathers in 
the days of their pilgrimage. 

Though Joseph had his family near him in 
the fruitful land of Goshen, he could not stay 
with them, for the famine now began to be 
felt keenly everywhere, growing worse as the 
years went on. His hands were full, manag- 
ing the king's revenues and keeping the peace 

165 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and little by little, in the latter part of the 
famine, Joseph bought up the land of the 
Egyptians and made them pay more and more 
in taxes to the crown. But they had food and 
seed for future harvests and they did not much 
complain. Joseph was a wise and shrewd man 
who knew how to govern others. The dreams 
of his youthful days had come true. 

His old father lived seventeen years after 
he came to Egypt and died when he was one 
hundred and forty-seven years old. He had 
had a mingled life, a good deal of success and 
a good deal of sorrow, but he loved and served 
God and, dying, he blessed his sons and fore- 
told what should happen to them long years 
afterward. 

To Joseph, he gave the most beautiful bless- 
ing of all. He laid his old wrinkled hand on 
the heads of Joseph's sons, Manasseh and 
Ephraim, and to Ephraim he gave the better 
blessing, though Joseph begged him to re- 
member that Manasseh was the first born. 

He said, The Angel who redeemed me from 
all evil bless the lads; and let my name be 
named on them and the name of my fathers, 

1 66 



JACOB IN EGYPT 

Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into 
a multitude in the midst of the earth. 

He said to Joseph, Behold, I die, but God 
shall be with you and bring you again into the 
land of your fathers. 

To each of his sons the old man spoke a 
beautiful last word, but this was what he said 
to Joseph: 

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful 
bough by a well, whose branches run over the 
wall: 

The archers have sorely grieved him and 
shot at him and hated him. 

But his bow abode in strength, and the arms 
of his hands were made strong by the hands 
of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is 
the shepherd, the stone of Israel). 

Even by the God of thy father, who shall 
help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall 
bless thee with blessings of heaven above, 
blessings of the deep that lieth under. 

The blessings of thy father have prevailed 
above the blessings of my progenitors unto 
the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they 
shall be on the head of Joseph and on the 

167 



THE STORY BIBLE 

crown of the head of him that was separate 
from his brethren. 

The long life was ended. Jacob was gath- 
ered to his fathers. The physicians of Egypt 
embalmed his body and Joseph, with a great 
train, went up to Canaan to bury his father. 
The sons of Jacob left their wives and their 
little ones in Goshen and they went to the old 
burial place that Abraham had bought from 
Ephron the Hittite. Here Jacob had wished 
to be laid beside Isaac and Abraham. 

The brothers felt a little afraid that Joseph 
would not be their friend when his father was 
gone, but he told them not to fear. He spoke 
to them most lovingly. 

Joseph lived to be one hundred and ten 
years old. When he died he charged his peo- 
ple, at some future day, to carry his bones to 
Canaan. His body was embalmed and put in 
a coffin in Egypt. 

Four hundred years passed by. Then a 
child was born who became a great leader of 
his people, and he took the bones of Joseph 
away from Egypt and bore them to the land of 
Canaan. 

168 



XXI 
THE BASKET AMONG THE REEDS 

IT was all well with the Hebrews so long 
as Joseph lived. But in the years after 
Joseph died great changes came to pass. The 
Pharaoh of Joseph's time died too and the 
kings of his line all died as the centuries went 
by. Other kings came, kings who knew noth- 
ing about Joseph and cared nothing for the 
services he had rendered the ancient Pharaoh. 
They saw the increasing host of the Hebrews 
with great dislike and jealous fear and op- 
pressed them with a heavy hand. They made 
them serve with hard and bitter bondage, set 
stern taskmasters over them, and compelled 
them to build cities and other great works. 
It is thought that the great pyramids, that 
some of you may one day see, were built by 
the toil of the poor Hebrews. 

They were made to labor in the field, to 
labor with mortar and brick; if they did not 
do what their taskmasters appointed they 

169 



THE STORY BIBLE 

were beaten and their lives were terribly hard, 
so that they longed to get out of this dread- 
ful land and away from this cruel bondage. 

Pharaoh finally became more cruel than 
ever. He hated to see this race that was toil- 
ing for him grow stronger by the births of 
children and he made a law that every little 
Hebrew baby, if a boy, should be thrown into 
the river and drowned. He sent men about to 
snatch the babies from their mothers and the 
mothers were frantic with grief. A king's 
edict though ever so cruel could not be dis- 
obeyed. 

All over the land of Goshen there were 
empty cradles. The little girls were spared 
but the boys were slain. 

Little did Pharaoh care. His heart was 
hard as flint. 

One mother there was who hid her babe 
away. She watched and, when she saw a spy 
coming, she kept her baby out of his clutches. 
But she knew that she could not do this very 
long. By and bye the baby's cries would 
surely be heard. 

She hit upon a good plan. She took some 
170 



THE BASKET AMONG THE REEDS 

of the long pliant rushes that grew by the 
River Nile and wove of them a basket, a 
basket like a little cradle. She made it water- 
proof with pitch, and she lined it with a little 
soft quilt and in it she laid her rosy baby when 
he was fast asleep. She carried basket and 
baby and tucked them down in a hiding place 
among the reeds by the river's brink. The 
baby's sister stood, not close by, but near 
enough to see what might befall the little one. 
No doubt the mother watched too, coming 
and going. They were afraid of the croco- 
diles, but not half so afraid of them as of the 
cruel soldiers of the wicked king. 

After awhile the king's daughter with her 
maidens came down to the river to bathe. She 
soon noticed the pretty basket among the 
reeds. 

Go and bring that basket to me, she ordered 
a maid, and the basket was brought. 

Open it, she commanded. 

It was opened, and there lay the most beau- 
tiful child the princess had ever seen. 

Oh, the sweet babe! she cried, the darling! 
Lift him and give him to me. 

171 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The babe had cried, frightened by the 
strange faces. The princess knew at once that 
he was a child of the Hebrews, a child her 
father meant to kill. But she determined to 
save this little one. Her heart was full of pity. 

Just then a little girl came running up, all 
out of breath. 

Shall I go, she said, and call a nurse for 
thee, from the Hebrew women, to nurse this 
baby? 

Yes, said the princess, Go. The girl needed 
no second bidding. Away she ran and 
brought her mother. 

Take this child, said Pharaoh's daughter, 
and nurse it for me and I will give thee thy 
wages. 

The beautiful child grew; and when he was 
old enough, the mother took him to the king's 
daughter and he became her adopted son. And 
she called him Moses because, she said, I drew 
him out of the water. 



172 



XXII 

MOSES IN THE DESERT 

THE little child whom the princess 
brought up was taught everything a 
child ought to know. There were learned 
men in Egypt then, and they became his 
teachers. He grew up graceful, polished and 
refined, and the learning of the best schools 
was his. 

Later on, when Moses was older, he was 
spoken of as the meekest of men. As a youth 
he was not meek but was of a quick and fiery 
temper. His own mother, who had been his 
nurse, had not let him forget that he was a 
Hebrew and, though brought up by an Egyp- 
tian lady, he was filled with the love for his 
own people that his Jewish mother felt. 

When he was a young man he stood one 
day looking on where the Hebrews were toil- 
ing in the hot sun under their cruel masters. 
He saw an Egyptian strike a Hebrew. Quick 
as a flash his arm shot out and the Egyptian 



THE STORY BIBLE 

lay dead at his feet. He left him there with 
the yellow sands drifting over his body. 
Trained in the palace of the king he did not 
care very much about having slain a man of 
the common people. Such deeds were very 
frequent. 

But the next day when he saw two Hebrews 
fighting he interfered and reproved them, 
and one of them said tauntingly, Who made 
you a prince and a judge over us? Are you 
going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian 
yesterday? 

Moses knew that, if this report got abroad, 
Pharaoh would kill him. He may not have 
been a favorite with the king. Pharaoh did 
try to kill him and Moses fled from the face of 
Pharaoh. 

He left the princess and the court and took 
his journey into the land of Midian. 

Weary and dusty he sat down by a wayside 
well. 

The priest of Midian had seven daughters 
and they came to the well trough to water 
their father's flocks. 

Rough shepherds drove them away, but a 
174 



MOSES IN THE DESERT 

stranger with gentle manners and a charming 
air stood up, waved back the boorish crowd 
and watered the sheep. 

The young girls went home and told their 
father the tale and he went out and invited 
him into his house. One of the girls, Zip- 
porah, became the wife of Moses. 

Many years went silently by. The days 
were exactly alike in the desert and Moses 
lived the simple life of a humble shepherd and 
was contented. 

One day he saw something strange, a bush 
all on fire. The red flames glowed in it, the 
scarlet tongues played around it, but the bush 
did not burn up. The fire glorified it. The 
bush burned but was not consumed. 

And Moses said, I will now turn aside and 
see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside 
to see, God called unto him out of the midst of 
the bush and said, Moses, Moses. And he 
said, Here am I. 

And he said, Draw not hither; put thy shoes 
from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou 
standest is holy ground. 

i7S 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy 
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac 
and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his 
face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 

And the Lord said, I have surely seen the 
affliction of my people which are in Egypt and 
have heard their cry by reason of their task- 
masters; for I know their sorrows; 

And I am come down to deliver them out of 
the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them 
up out of that land unto a good land and a 
large, unto a land flowing with milk and 
honey; unto the land of the Canaanites and 
the Hittites and the Amorites and the Periz- 
zites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the chil- 
dren of Israel is come unto me ; and I have also 
seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians 
oppress them. 

Come now, therefore, and I will send thee 
unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth 
my people the children of Israel out of 
Egypt. 

And Moses said unto God, Who am I that 
I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should 

176 



MOSES IN THE DESERT 

bring forth the children of Israel out of 
Egypt? 

And God said, Certainly I will be with thee; 
and this shall be a token unto thee that I have 
sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the 
people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon 
this mountain. 

And Moses said unto God, Behold, When I 
come unto the children of Israel and shall say 
unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent 
me unto you; and they shall say to me, What 
is his name; what shall I say unto them? 

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I 
AM ; and he said, Thou shalt say unto the chil- 
dren of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 



177 



XXIII 
LET MY PEOPLE GO 

GOD further told Moses that Pharaoh 
would not let the Hebrews go without 
a great struggle. But He said they should 
go and that they should not go forth empty. 
They should carry forth gold and silver and 
jewels, the spoil of the Egyptians, for which 
they had worked hard and long. 

Moses was very much afraid that he could 
not plead with Pharaoh or become a real 
leader of his people. He said, Lord, I am not 
eloquent, I am slow of speech. I have a slow 
tongue. 

Who maketh the dumb or the deaf or the 
seeing or the blind? said the Lord. I will be 
with thee and teach thee what to say. And 
Aaron, thy brother, will be glad to see thee 
and he shall be my spokesman with the people. 

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father- 
in-law, let him go with his wife and his sons 
and they went down to Egypt. It was so long 

i 7 8 



LET MY PEOPLE GO 

since he had been there that the men who had 
sought Moses' life were all dead. 

In his hands he had a slender rod, the rod 
of God. With this, Moses went in one day to 
Pharaoh's court. He had previously told the 
Hebrews that God had remembered them and 
that they were to go back to their own land. 

To Pharaoh he said boldly, Thus saith the 
Lord God of Israel. Let my people go that 
they may hold a feast unto me in the wilder- 
ness. 

Pharaoh utterly refused. 

Who is the Lord, he exclaimed, and why 
should I obey Him? I know not the Lord, 
and I will not let Israel go. 

Moses and Aaron tried again to persuade 
him. The God of the Hebrews, they said, 
hath met with us. He would have His people 
go into the desert and offer sacrifices to Him. 

The king was in a rage. 

What do you mean, O Moses and Aaron, 
he cried, by making the people dissatisfied? 
Let them work. Get you to your burdens. 

Then he sent for his taskmasters and or- 
dered them to make the people of Israel work 

179 



LET MY PEOPLE GO 

very much harder than they had ever done. 
They were to make more bricks than they had 
ever made and, if they did not fulfil their daily 
tasks, they were to be beaten; but they were 
not to have any straw given them with which 
to make the bricks. They were to be scourged 
with whips if the work was not done but they 
were to find the stubble and straw for them- 
selves. Their bondage was to be even worse 
than before Moses interfered. 

The people of Israel were always very un- 
grateful and they had acquired by this time 
the temper of slaves. They turned on Moses 
and Aaron and angrily found fault with them. 

You have made everything harder, they said 
bitterly. Why could you not have left well 
enough alone? 

But Moses did not answer them. He only 
went to God and prayed. In the desert he had 
learned to pray. 



180 



XXIV 
THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT 

AGAIN Moses stood before Pharaoh with 
the same urgent plea. But he stood 
bravely, now, as if he too were a king. For 
God had said, 

Now shalt thou see what I will do to 
Pharaoh; for with a strong hand shall he let 
my people go and drive them out of his land. I 
AM THE LORD. I appeared unto Abraham, 
unto Isaac and unto Jacob by the Name of 
God Almighty, but by My Name JEHOVAH 
was I not known to them. 

I have heard the groaning of the children of 
Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage 
and I have remembered my covenant. 

The people were so crushed that they paid 
very little attention to Moses, but he kept right 
on preaching to them, praying for them and 
speaking right out of his heart to Pharaoh. 

One morning Pharaoh stood by the river 
and from among the rushes arose Moses. 

181 



THE STORY BIBLE 

He said, O King Pharaoh, the Lord God 
says, Let my people go. 

And if you still refuse I will smite this river 
with the rod in my hand, and all its sweet pure 
waters shall be turned into blood. The fish 
shall die. Every drop of water in streams and 
wells and in Pharaoh's house shall be turned 
to blood unless you let the people of God go. 
Pharaoh laughed. But for seven days there 
was no water in Egypt, only dark thick foul 
smelling blood. 

After this Moses brought on the land a 
dreadful plague of frogs. They swarmed over 
everything. They jumped out of the flour and 
out of the bread pan, out of the pots in the 
closet and the dishes on the table, out of the 
couches and the cushions, out of the curtains 
and the rugs. They were in everybody's 
house alike. They overran the palace and the 
hut and drove people fairly wild, from the king 
to the poorest laborer. 

Now Pharaoh sent for Moses and said, En- 
treat the Lord for me to take away this pest 
of frogs and I will let the people go. 

When shall I entreat the Lord? said Moses. 
182 



THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT 

To-morrow, answered Pharaoh. 

To-morrow came and the frogs died. They 
were swept out in heaps and burned, but, once 
they were gone, Pharaoh's heart grew hard 
and he again refused to let God's people go. 

Other plagues God sent by Moses, plagues 
of illness, of painful boils, of dreadful insects, 
flies, locusts, hail and thick darkness. At each 
plague Pharaoh promised to release the peo- 
ple and, as soon as it was over, his heart grew 
hard and he broke his word. 

He would not let the people go. 

At last there was sent a more dreadful visi- 
tation than any that had gone before. The 
locusts eating every green herb, the flies set- 
tling down in a cloud, the darkness in which 
people groped about in the daytime as if it 
were the middle of the night, were bad 
enough; but Pharaoh kept his stubborn reso- 
lution through them all, not to let God's peo- 
ple go. 

But when nothing else would move him, 
God sent down the Angel of Death. 



183 



XXV 
THE STORY OF THE PASSOVER 

THE Lord told Moses and Aaron to speak 
to the children of Israel and bid them 
prepare for a new and solemn rite. It was the 
beginning of a great national feast, to be kept 
in all ages and known as the Passover. The 
Jews keep it still, wherever they are; in their 
homes it is as sacred now as when first their 
fathers observed it in Egypt. 

Each family was to take a lamb without 
spot or blemish, kill it and, with its blood, put 
a sign on the door posts of the house, on the 
two side posts and the upper lintel. The flesh 
of the lamb was to be roasted and the family 
were to eat it with unleavened bread and bitter 
herbs. Nothing was to be left over. What- 
ever was left after the meal was to be burned. 
They were to eat it, dressed for a journey and 
in haste, their loins girded, their sandals on 
their feet, every man with his staff in his hand. 

184 



THE STORY OF THE PASSOVER 

Fathers and mothers and little ones were to 
eat this meal together. It was the Lord's 
Passover. 

They did not yet fully understand what this 
feast meant but on the night when they ate 
it there came flying down on the wings of the 
wind a dark and terrible angel. He did not 
stop at or enter any house where the sign of 
the blood was on the door. Every such house 
the angel passed over. But every other house 
in Egypt he entered and every flock and every 
stall and every stable. Wherever the angel 
entered there was instantly the death of the 
first born of man or of beast. The king on 
his throne, the beggar at the gate, the peasant 
in the hut, the servant, the nobleman, the day 
laborer, all alike were in deep and awful grief, 
for each had lost at one blow a dear child. 

But the angel had passed over the homes 
where God's people dwelt. In their homes, 
the homes of Pharaoh's slaves, were light and 
music and mirth, and they kept a feast. 

God commanded them to keep this feast for- 
ever through all their generations. Ages later, 
when Jesus came to earth, a Jewish Child 

185 



THE STORY BIBLE 

brought up in a Jewish home, He kept the 
Passover in His manhood with His disciples. 

Still in the devout Hebrew household the 
youngest child asks, What mean ye by this 
service? and the father answers, 

It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, 
who passed over the houses of the children of 
Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians 
and delivered our houses. 

When the midnight fell, as the Angel of 
Death went by there was a great cry in Egypt, 
a cry of sorrow and despair. Pharaoh rose in 
the night and sent for Moses and Aaron and 
said, 

Rise up, get you forth from among my peo- 
ple, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, 
serve the Lord as ye have said. Take your 
flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be 
gone! Then, he added, as an afterthought, 
and bless me also. 

For the moment his iron will was broken 
and his hard heart was soft. 

As for the Egyptians, they could not hurry 
the Israelites away fast enough. They fairly 
speeded them on their journey. Haste, haste, 

1 86 



THE STORY OF THE PASSOVER 

they cried, get out of our borders or we shall . 
all be dead men. They gave them whatever 
they asked for. 

The Israelites packed their possessions 
swiftly; they did not need to be urged. The 
women took the dough that was in their 
kneading bowls and bound it just as it was in 
bundles on their shoulders; they snatched up 
their children and ran as if for life. 

Jacob and his sons had brought in to Egypt 
a little company four hundred and thirty years 
earlier. They left Egypt an immense host, 
six hundred thousand men, besides women and 
children. They had, besides, great droves of 
cattle. A mixed multitude of other people fol- 
lowed them, some probably of the baser type 
of Egyptians, and this rabble caused them 
trouble before they reached the land of 
Canaan. The hosts of the Lord were none 
the better for the worshippers of idols who be- 
came their camp followers. 

God was now with Moses all the time, giv- 
ing him marching orders. He told him not to 
lead the Israelites by the shortest route lest 
the warlike Philistines should frighten them, 

i8 7 



THE STORY BIBLE 

but to go by a roundabout pathway through 
the wilderness that skirted the Red Sea. 

By day the Lord tempered the fierce desert 
heat for them by a vast pillar of cloud. 

By night He guarded their steps by a great 
pillar of fire; and so they journeyed onward 
from Egypt to the Promised Land. 



188 



XXVI 
THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA 

BEFORE very long Pharaoh began to re- 
gret his hasty action in letting go so 
great a number of people who were useful 
to him in his kingdom. He did not mourn 
very long for the child he had lost nor waste 
much time before trying to get the Israelites 
back. 

He made ready his chariots and mustered 
his horsemen. Six hundred chariots formed 
his body guard. He rallied his troops and 
pursued the Hebrews and, as they were on 
foot and encumbered with children, cattle and 
sheep, he hoped soon to overtake them. He 
would easily have routed them and driven 
them back if earthly prowess and power 
could have availed, but the Angel of the Lord 
fought for Israel. By day the pillar of cloud 
confused him while it sheltered them. It was 
like a blanket of fog to Pharaoh and hindered 
him greatly. At night the pillar of fire that 

189 



THE STORY BIBLE 

guided the Israelites was a pillar of smoke 
and darkness to the foe. 

But the Egyptian army came so near at last 
that the Hebrews were in despair. Remem- 
ber, children, that they had the hearts of 
slaves. They had so long been terrified by 
their oppressors that their courage was gone 
and they had as yet very little real faith in 
JEHOVAH. 

When they found themselves with the sea 
in front of them and the enemy behind they 
stormed at Moses. 

Was it because there were no graves in 
Egypt that thou hast taken us to die in the 
wilderness? We might far better have stayed 
in Egypt and served than have been brought 
here to perish. 

But the undaunted soul of Moses did not 
waver. He stood there, splendid and strong. 

Fear not, he said: Stand still and see the 
salvation of God, which He will show you to- 
day. The Egyptians whom ye see this day ye 
shall see no more forever. 

The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall 
hold your peace. 

190 



THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA 

Moses called on God for help. He knew 
God would not forsake him now. Ringing 
down from heaven into the brave heart came 
the answer of JEHOVAH, 

Speak unto the children of Israel that they 
go forward. 

Where and how were they to go? There 
was the Red Sea before them, its waves toss- 
ing; there was no bridge; there were no boats. 

Speak unto the children of Israel that they go 
forward. 

Moses lifted up that wonderful magical rod 
of his over the sea. As he did so, the great 
billows rolled back before a mighty east wind 
that blew and blew and blew all one night; the 
fugitives walked over the dry bed of the sea, 
with the billows like a wall of emerald beyond 
them. Every man, every woman, every child, 
every hoof went safe across the Red Sea. Con- 
fused by the strange cloud that was the pro- 
tection of the Hebrews, Pharaoh and his host 
in the wake of the long column came dashing 
furiously on. They rushed headlong after it 
into the dry bed of the sea, as the hunter 
rushes on the heels of his prey. 

191 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The heavy chariots stuck fast in the wet 
sand and the wheels came off. The host of 
Pharaoh were discouraged. Well they might 
be. One to another they said, Let us flee from 
the face of Israel, for the Lord fighteth for 
them against the Egyptians. 

As they spoke, the rear guard of the He- 
brews touched the opposite shore and Moses 
lifted up that terrible rod. Back fell the great 
green wall of water. The sea returned to its 
place and swallowed up the king and his men. 
Pharaoh and his chariots were lost in the en- 
gulfing waves; Moses and his people sang 
praises to JEHOVAH. 



192 



XXVII 
FORTY WEARY YEARS 

ALTHOUGH the children of Israel were 
safely over the Red Sea, with Pharaoh 
and his host drowned in its depths, their trou- 
bles were not at an end. They had been in 
bondage so long that they had lost their an- 
cient spirit; as you have seen by their murmur- 
ing against Moses, they had very little cour- 
age. Besides this they had lost, among their 
heathen neighbors, the old reverence for their 
fathers' God, and many of them had taken up 
idol worship. The mixed multitude who were 
with them, composed of the lowest classes in 
Egypt, the idle and the ignorant, helped to 
stir up the worst elements in the Hebrews. 
Moses had a tremendous task before him in 
making laws for such people, people who 
thought being free meant to have no laws at 
all. He and Aaron had again to teach them 
the religion and the rites of Abraham, Isaac 

193 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and Jacob, and, as they set out to the Promised 
Land, which was now occupied by wild and 
hostile tribes, the two brothers were often dis- 
couraged. But God was with Moses and 
Aaron. 

As the Hebrews were not yet fit for either 
freedom or fighting, God kept them for forty 
years in the wilderness. This great wilder- 
ness was their schoolroom. All the time they 
were under God's constant care. He fed them 
with manna, for little food could be found in 
the desert. 

This manna, a little round golden ball, fell 
nightly from the sky and in the morning the 
people gathered it and took it into their 
tents. There was always just enough for 
one day, except on the sixth day when enough 
manna fell to last the whole camp two days. 
God forbade the people to do any work, even 
to gather manna, on the day of rest. 

When they began, in their ingratitude, to 
say that they did not care for manna and 
wished they were back in Egypt to have leeks 
and onions and flesh pots again, God sent 
them quails in great abundance. But they ate 

194 



FORTY WEARY YEARS 

the quails so greedily that they were made ill ; 
and many died : they were thankful to have the 
sweet healthful manna once more. 

God gave them water to quench their thirst, 
and spread his sheltering cloud above them to 
keep away the fierceness of the desert sun. 
Once Moses, angered at their continual com- 
plaints, struck the rock at Horeb with his rod 
and brought forth a stream of cool water, but 
God was displeased with his servant for show- 
ing a hot temper and rebuked him. Perhaps 
Moses at that moment forgot that he was only 
God's instrument; at any rate, it was because 
of this sin that Moses never entered the Prom- 
ised Land but only saw its beauty from a dis- 
tance. 

I think I must explain to you, children, what 
the real meaning of meekness is, for, as I have 
once before told you, Moses was praised for 
his meekness. To be meek is not to be weak, 
nor to be of a soft yielding nature, that gives 
way to everybody without a struggle. To be 
meek is to have a temper that is under your 
control, as a horse is controlled by bit and 
bridle. We are not to be praised if we have 

195 



THE STORY BIBLE 

no temper, but if we have a quick temper and 
govern it we are to be commended. To keep 
back the hasty word, to be silent when people 
make us angry, to think before we act, is to be 
meek. There is nothing mean or cowardly in 
meekness. 

Moses had many seasons of prayer and of 
communion with the Lord while the forty 
years went by in the wilderness. The older 
men were gradually dying and the younger 
ones were growing up, under the teaching and 
training of Aaron and Moses, during this long 
period. 

The Ten Commandments were spoken from 
heaven and given to Moses at this time. Even 
while Moses was communing with God on 
the Holy Mount, the people at its foot per- 
suaded Aaron to make for them a golden 
calf which they might worship. They had 
learned idol worship in Egypt. When Moses 
came down from the Mount he had in his hand 
two tables of stone on which God with His 
own finger had written the law. In his in- 
dignation at the wickedness of the people 
Moses dropped these tables and they were 

196 



FORTY WEARY YEARS 

dashed in pieces. Afterward, God again gave 
his laws to Moses and Moses wrote them 
down. Some day you will learn these com- 
mandments by heart, and lay them up in 
memory. 

Thou shalt have no other gods before me; 
thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 
image, or any likeness of anything that is in 
the heaven above, or that is in the earth be- 
neath, or that is in the water under the earth; 
thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor 
serve them: for I, the Lord thy God, am a jeal- 
ous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 
upon the children unto the third and fourth 
generation of them that hate me; and shew- 
ing mercy unto thousands of them that love 
me, and keep my commandments. 

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him 
guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 

Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy 
work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of 
the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any 
workj thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, 

197 



THE STORY BIBLE 

thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy 
cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy 
gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven 
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and 
rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord 
blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 

Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy 
days may be long upon the land which the 
Lord thy God giveth thee. 

Thou shalt not kill. 

Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

Thou shalt not steal. 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against 
thy neighbor. 

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, 
thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor 
his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his 
ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neigh- 
bor's. 

The neighboring peoples were much dis- 
turbed when they saw the great hosts of the 
Hebrews. They began to tremble and Balak, 
King of the Amonites, took what he thought 
was a splendid measure to get rid of them. He 
sent for a prophet, a man supposed to know 

198 



FORTY WEARY YEARS 

God's mind in what was going on in the earth, 
and asked him to curse the intruders for him. 

Balaam was not a very good man, though 
he was a prophet and could foretell the future. 
In his heart he hated the strange newcomers 
and he wanted very much to please Balak, who 
was ready to reward him if only he would 
curse the Hebrews with a loud and deep curse. 

Let nothing hinder thee from coming to me, 
his message had been to Balaam. Behold, 
there is a people come out of Egypt that 
covereth the face of the earth. 

But God said to Balaam in a voice that he 
heard in his heart, and with a look he saw in 
a vision. 

Thou shalt not curse the people, for they are 
blessed. 

Balak promised the prophet great honor 
and power and riches if only he would oblige 
him. 

But Balaam declared that if a house full of 
silver and gold were given him, and all the 
honor in the world, he dared not disobey the 
word of the Lord. 

Balaam was in an odd predicament. He 
199 



THE STORY BIBLE 

was a prophet who unwillingly spoke what 
God told him to speak but who had no love for 
God in his heart. He rose early one morning, 
saddled his ass, and set out for the mountains 
of Moab. 

An angel of God came out to bar his way 
and stood before him with a drawn sword, but 
Balaam rode right on. He did not see the 
angel or the sword. Animals can sometimes 
perceive sights that men do not see. The 
dumb beast saw the angel and swerved out of 
the road into the field, and Balaam smote her 
for her stupidity. 

Then the angel again barred the way. The 
ass swerved and the prophet struck her. This 
was repeated three times and then the poor 
creature opened her mouth and said, 

Why do you treat me so? What have I 
done? 

If I had a sword, cried the angry man, I 
would kill you. 

Did I ever do anything like this before? said 
the ass. Is there not some reason? Why 
treat me so cruelly? 

At this, Balaam's eyes suddenly grew clear 
200 



FORTY WEARY YEARS 

and he saw the angel standing there v/ith the 
sharp and threatening sword. The angel told 
him plainly that he owed his life to the ass 
and warned him that he was to speak to Balak 
nothing but the truth. 

In the end, when the prophet stood before 
Balak and his train of chiefs, he blessed Israel 
again and again, for no curse would God let 
him proclaim against them. 

Moses kept on, while this by-play was made, 
knowing nothing of it all. He had his work 
to do. Busy with a thousand things, manag- 
ing every little detail and settling every dis- 
pute and carrying heavy burdens, when Moses 
was an old man, one hundred and twenty 
years old, the Lord took him home to heaven. 
His eye was not dim. He was not feeble, nor 
tottering, but he was tired and ready to go. 
He said a great many beautiful farewell words 
to the people. 

One day the Lord said to his servant Moses, 
Go up into the Mountain of Nebo in the land 
of Moab and view from there all the posses- 
sions in the land of Canaan which I shall yet 
give the children of Israel. There shalt thou 

20 1 



THE STORY BIBLE 

die as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor. 
Moses heard and obeyed. With steady step 
and head erect and -eyes as keen as an eagle's, 
he climbed the steep and lonely mountain and 
looked across at the hills and valleys that were 
widespread before him. Then he saw another 
and more beautiful land above him, a land so 
lovely that he was glad when the sky opened 
and a band of white and shining angels came 
flying down to him. Moses closed his eyes 
and slept. The angels carried his brave soul 
up to God, and they buried his body on the hill 
top where it lay. No man ever found that 
grave. 



202 



XXVIII 
WHEN JERICHO FELL DOWN 

JOSHUA had a big enterprise on his hands 
when he took command of Israel after 
the death of Moses. But he had a trained 
army, that by this time had learned to obey a 
commander. By this time, too, the people had 
learned to follow God's Will, and so they were 
better prepared to cope with and conquer the 
warlike tribes that had overrun the land of 
Canaan. These tribes had to be driven out if 
the Israelites were to settle down in peace and 
be at rest. 

The story in Joshua's career most fascinat- 
ing to children is that of the siege and fall of 
Jericho. This was a large and rich city sur- 
rounded by strong walls. Joshua knew that 
it was a great undertaking to attack this forti- 
fied city. Before he made the attempt he had 
a thrilling adventure. It was the dead of 

203 



THE STORY BIBLE 

night, every one was fast asleep. The people 
of Jericho could not get out, but the people of 
Israel could not get in. Until Jericho was 
theirs they could advance no further in the 
capture of Canaan. 

Joshua was walking alone on the edge of 
his camp, looking at the beleaguered city, 
when he suddenly saw a man with a bright 
sword drawn in his hand. 

Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 
asked Joshua fearlessly. 

Nay, said the man, As the Captain of the 
Lord's host I am come. Then Joshua pros- 
trated himself on the ground and worshipped, 
for he knew that God was with him. In 
Eastern lands it is customary for men to slip 
off their shoes in a sacred place. You remem- 
ber that Moses did this beside the burning 
bush. 

Loose thy shoes from off thy feet, said the 
Captain of the Lord's host to Joshua. The 
place whereon thou standest is holy. 

Acting under the orders of this mysterious 
personage, whom Joshua knew to be the Lord, 
he undertook a curious line of assault on 

204 



WHEN JERICHO FELL DOWN 

Jericho. The Lord said, See, I have given into 
thine hand Jericho and the king thereof and 
the mighty men of valor. 

And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of 
war, and go around about the city once. Thus 
shalt thou do six days. 

And seven priests shall bear before the ark 
seven trumpets of rams' horns; and the 
seventh day ye shall compass the city seven 
times and the priests shall blow with the 
trumpets. 

And it shall come to pass that, when they 
make a long blast with the rams' horns and 
when ye hear the sound of the trumpets, all the 
people shall shout with a great shout; and the 
wall of the city shall fall flat and the people 
shall ascend every man straight before him. 

And Joshua, the son of Nun, called the 
priests and said unto them, Take up the ark 
of the covenant and let seven priests bear 
seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark 
of the Lord. 

And he said unto the people, Pass on and 
compass the city, and let him that is armed 
pass on before the ark of the Lord. 

205 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And it came to pass, when Joshua had 
spoken unto the people, that the seven priests 
bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns 
passed on before the Lord and blew with the 
trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the 
Lord followed them. 

And the armed men went before the priests 
that blew the trumpets, and the rearward 
went after the ark, the priests blowing with 
the trumpets as they went. 

And Joshua had commanded the people, 
saying, Ye shall not shout nor make any noise 
with your voice, neither shall any word pro- 
ceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you 
shout; and then shall ye shout. 

So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, 
going about it once; and they came into the 
camp and lodged in the camp. 

And Joshua rose early in the morning and 
the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 

And seven priests bearing seven trumpets 
of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went 
on continually and blew with the trumpets: 
and the armed men went before them; but the 
rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the 

206 



WHEN JERICHO FELL DOWN 

priests going on and blowing with the 
trumpets. 

And the second day they compassed the city 
once and returned into the camp; so they did 
six days. 

And it came to pass, on the seventh day, 
that they rose about the dawning of the day 
and compassed the city after the same manner 
seven times; on that day only they compassed 
the city seven times. 

And it came to pass, at the seventh time, 
when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua 
said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath 
given you the city. 

Strict commands were given to the He- 
brews that there should be no plundering or 
pillaging the city after its fall, no carrying 
away of loot. A woman named Rahab, who 
had shown a great kindness to Joshua's scouts 
was to be saved alive, with her household. All 
others were to perish with the city and the sil- 
ver, gold, brass and iron were to be seized, not 
by the soldiers, but by those in command, for 
the treasury of the Lord. 

In every age, dear children, war has been 
207 



THE STORY BIBLE 

unspeakably cruel. These old Bible wars 
were cruel. So have been the wars of all his- 
tory, down to the latest war that you have 
read about in the newspapers. Horror and 
fire and death belong to war. Yet we all 
enjoy hearing of battles and sieges and I sup- 
pose we always shall. At all events, I hope 
when we do fight, we shall always fight on the 
right side. 

Speaking of loot, a man named Achan dis- 
obeyed Joshua and hid a wedge of gold and a 
rich garment in his tent; being found out, he 
and his whole family were put to death and 
everything they had was burned up, by a mil- 
itary order. 

But to go back a little. After the seven 
days' tramp, tramp, tramp, around the 
doomed city, with the incessant noise of 
trumpets, the people shouted with a great 
shout and the strong walls of Jericho fell flat. 
No blow had been struck. The walls simply 
fell and Jericho was taken. 



208 



XXIX 
THE STORY OF GIDEON 

THE Hebrews, after the stormy days of 
Joshua, succeeded in driving out their 
foes and taking possession of their land. In 
a way, the land belonged to them, for it had 
belonged to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and 
God had told them it should be theirs. And 
in this world, whoever fights manfully and 
lives according to God's laws gets the upper 
hand of his foes in the end. But I am always 
a little sorry for the Hivites and the Hittites, 
the Amorites and the Perrizites, those chil- 
dren of the land of Canaan who faded away 
before Israel as our own Red men have faded 
away before us on this continent. It was right 
they should go, but I am sorry for them. 

They had many a tough tussle before they 
got through with the Moabites and the 
Midianites, who were always making forays 

209 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and dashing out of ambuscades. Whenever, 
too, the Israelites forgot God, the battle went 
against them. 

There came a time when the children of 
Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he 
delivered them into the hand of the Midianites 
for seven years. 

The Midianites drove the Israelites before 
them and made them hide in dens and caves 
and strongholds in the mountains. They 
could not plant or sow or reap, for the Midian- 
ites pounced upon their fields and the bands of 
Midian stole their oxen, their cattle, and their 
sheep. 

The Midianites were like grasshoppers for 
multitude and had camels without number. 

At last, when the children of Israel were 
disheartened, they did what they ought to 
have done at first. They repented of their 
sins and cried to the Lord for relief. 

Now we come to Gideon. He was a young 
man of noble family, a man who loved his 
country and mourned over her sad plight. He 
was threshing his father's wheat by stealth, 
that he might save it from the enemy's hordes, 

210 



THE STORY OF GIDEON 

when he looked up and saw an angel sitting 
under the shadow of a great oak. 

The angel said, The Lord is with thee, thou 
mighty man of valor. 

Alas! said Gideon, if the Lord be with us 
how is it that we are so crushed? Why have 
all these evils befallen us and where are all 
the miracles of which our fathers told us? 

The answer was, Go, thou, in this thy might, 
and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of 
the Midianites; have not I sent thee? 

And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, where- 
with shall I save Israel? behold, my family is 
poor in Manasseh and I am the least in my 
father's house. 

And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will 
be with thee and thou shalt smite the Midian- 
ites as one man. 

But Gideon answered, If now I have found 
grace in thy sight then show me a sign that 
thou talkest with me. 

Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come 
unto thee, and bring forth my present and set 
it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until 
thou come again. 

211 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And Gideon went in and made ready a kid 
and unleavened cakes of fine flour; the flesh 
he put in a basket and the broth in a pot and 
brought them out unto him under the oak and 
presented them. 

And the angel of the Lord said unto him, 
Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes and 
lay them upon this rock and pour out the 
broth. And he did so. 

Then the angel of the Lord put forth the 
end of the staff that was in his hand and 
touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; 
and there rose up fire out of the rock and con- 
sumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. 
Then the angel of the Lord departed out of 
his sight. 

And when Gideon perceived that he was an 
angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord 
God ! for I have seen an angel of the Lord face 
to face. 

And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto 
thee; fear not; thou shalt not die. 

Then Gideon built an altar there unto the 
Lord and called it Jehovah-shalom; unto this 
day it is in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 

212 



THE STORY OF GIDEON 

The first thing Gideon proceeded to do was 
to break down an altar the men of Israel had 
dared to build in honor of a heathen god, 
named Baal, and to cut down the grove that 
surrounded the altar. Having thus purged 
the city of its wicked idolatry, he was ready 
to go en. And the spirit of the Lord came on 
Gideon and he blew a trumpet and sent mes- 
sengers up and down to bid all true men rally 
to his standard. 

Then, his faith being not quite firm, he 
sought a sign from God. 

And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save 
Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 

Behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the 
floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only and 
it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall 
I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine 
hand, as thou hast said. 

And it was so ; for he rose early on the mor- 
row and thrust the fleece together and wrung 
the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 

And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine 
anger be hot against me and I will speak but 
this once; let me try, I pray thee, but this 

213 



THE STORY BIBLE 

once with the fleece; let it now be dry only 
upon the fleece and upon all the ground let 
there be dew. 

And God did so that night; for it was dry 
upon the fleece only and there was dew on all 
the ground. 

Was not God very kind to convince Gideon 
by this sign, just as a father might convince a 
trembling child? But Gideon needed great 
encouragement. 

Next morning he rose very early and looked 
around on his army. It was a large army of 
earnest men, hurriedly gathered from the 
borders of Asher, Zebulon and Naphtali. 

And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people 
that are with thee are too many for me to give 
the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel 
vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine 
own hand hath saved me. 

Now, therefore, go to, proclaim in the ears 
of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful 
and afraid, let him return and depart early 
from Mount Gilead. And there returned of 
the people twenty and two thousand; and 
there remained ten thousand. 

214 



THE STORY OF GIDEON 

And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people 
are yet too many; bring them down unto the 
water and I will try them for thee there; and 
it shall be that of whom I say unto thee, This 
shall go with thee, the same shall go with 
thee; this shall not go with thee, the same 
shall not go. 

Gideon brought down the people unto the 
water: and the Lord said, Every one that 
lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog 
lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; like- 
wise every one that boweth down upon his 
knees to drink. 

And the number of them that lapped, put- 
ting their hand to their mouth, were three hun- 
dred men : but all the rest of the people bowed 
down upon their knees to drink water. 

And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three 
hundred men that lapped will I save you and 
deliver the Midianites into thine hand; and 
let all the other people go every man unto his 
place. 

So the people took victuals in their hand 
and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest 
of Israel, every man unto his tent, and re- 

215 



THE STORY BIBLE 

tained those three hundred men; and the host 
of Midian was beneath him in the valley. 

In the same night the Lord said to Gideon, 
Arise and go down to the host, for I have de- 
livered it into thine hand. 

But if thou fear to go down alone, go thou 
with Phurah thy servant to the host. 

And thou shalt hear what they say; and 
afterward shall thine hands be strengthened. 

Then went he down with Phurah his serv- 
ant unto the outside of the armed men that 
were in the host. 

And the Midianites and the Amalekites and 
all the children of the East lay along in the 
valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and 
their camels were without number, as the sand 
by the seaside for multitude. 

And when Gideon was come, behold, there 
was a man that told a dream unto his comrade 
and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, 
a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host 
of Midian and came unto a tent; and smote 
it that it fell and overturned it, that the tent 
lay along. 

And his comrade answered, This is noth- 
216 



THE STORY OF GIDEON 

ing else save the sword of Gideon the son 
of Joash, a man of Israel; for into his hand 
hath God delivered Midian and all the host. 

When Gideon heard the telling of the dream 
and the interpretation thereof, he worshipped, 
and returned unto the host of Israel, and said, 
Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your 
hand the host of Midian. 

And he divided the three hundred men into 
three companies, and he put a trumpet into 
every man's hand, with an empty pitcher, and 
a lamp within the pitcher. 

And he said unto them, Look on me, and do 
as I do. When I come to the outside of the 
camp watch me. 

When I and my band blow with a trumpet, 
then blow ye the trumpets also on every side 
of the camp and shout, The sword of the Lord 
and of Gideon! 

So Gideon and the hundred men that were 
with him came unto the outside of the camp in 
the beginning of the middle watch; and they 
had but newly set the watch; and they blew 
the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were 
in their hands. 

217 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The clamor of the trumpets, the crashing 
of the pitchers, the magnificent war cry, were 
too much for the surprised camp. They ran 
and cried and fled; and in the dark they fought 
each other and Gideon won a great victory. 

There are some lessons here for you and me. 
With God on our side we need fear no foe. 
God does not want feeble, faint hearted people 
in his battles. He wants brave people who will 
overcome every obstacle by sheer courage. 
God wants people who will use the means He 
gives them in precisely His way. When we 
are right we may go fearlessly on. As Faber 
says, 

For right is right as God is God, 
And right the day must win. 

To doubt would be disloyalty, 
To falter would be sin. 

Nor can any of us have a better war cry than 
this of the sword of the Lord and of Gideon. 
Only in our case it may be the sword of the 
Lord and of Julian, the sword of the Lord and 
of Frederick, the sword of the Lord and of 
John, or whatever else the name. 

218 



XXX 
SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN 

IF there is anything that boys admire, and 
that girls too think very fine, it is 
strength. A boy likes to show his muscle. He 
is proud if he can lift a great weight, run a 
long distance, pitch a good ball, wrestle and 
box and do whatever shows skill and courage 
and athletic force. A boy's sister likes to be 
strong, too, but she does not mind being less 
so than her brother. 

When you are old enough to study mythol- 
ogy you will read the wonder stories of the 
Greeks and will see their great hero, Hercules, 
performing strange feats of valor. In a very 
dark age of the Hebrews, when the battles 
they fought with the Philistines were all go- 
ing wrong and their hearts were faint with 
distress, a Hebrew Hercules arose and Sam- 
son was his name. 

He belonged to the tribe of Dan, and his 
219 



THE STORY BIBLE 

father's name was Manoah. For a long time 
Manoah and his wife had been childless. 
Finally an angel of the Lord came and prom- 
ised them a son. This son was to be very care- 
fully brought up, was never to drink wine or 
any fiery spirit, and his hair was never to be 
cut. 

The good parents obeyed the angel. Sam- 
son grew up in their home, strong, clean, and 
devoted to his country. As the Lord had been 
with Gideon, the Lord was with him. 

When he was a young man he one day went 
into the country of the Philistines when the 
grapes were purple in the vineyards. He was 
marching gaily along with great strides when, 
out against him in the path, what should come 
but a young lion with tawny mane, roaring 
and springing upon him. Was Samson 
afraid? Not a bit. The spirit of the Lord 
came mightily on him and, with his bare 
hands, he seized the lion, shook it and tore it 
open, throwing it down dead. He had no 
weapon, but his hands were enough for this 
deed. He thought so little about what he had 
done that he did not mention it to his father 

220 



SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN 

and mother, but went on into Timnath of the^ 
Philistines, where lived a girl of their people 
who pleased him well. This girl became his 
wife. Returning after he had visited her, he 
saw that the carcass of the lion had been se- 
lected by a swarm of bees for their hive and he 
took of the honey and ate and carried a feast 
home to his people. At a banquet a little later 
Samson propounded a riddle. 

Out of the eater came forth meat and out 
of the strong came forth sweetness. 

Nobody could guess the riddle. 

The Philistines asked Samson's wife to coax 
him to reveal the answer but he would not tell 
her, though she pleaded and wept. Finally he 
yielded to her and said, What is sweeter than 
honey and what is stronger than a lion? But 
coldness had arisen between him and his wife 
and she stayed with her own people and Sam- 
son went back to his. It was a mistake for 
a son of Manoah the Hebrew to marry a 
daughter of the Philistines. Out of the quar- 
rels with her and her family that followed, 
Samson grew to hate the Philistines with 
great bitterness. In order to be revenged 

221 



THE STORY BIBLE 

on them he sent three hundred foxes, tied to- 
gether with firebrands lighted between their 
tails, into the standing corn of the Philistines. 
This was very cruel, but the times were cruel 
and Samson belonged to his times. The poor 
foxes ran madly to and fro and set fire to the 
corn, the grapes, the olives, and the fruit of 
the Philistines, causing a great destruction. 
When they tried to take Samson prisoner he 
fought them one by one, or by twos and threes, 
and killed so many that the rest ran away from 
him in dire dismay. The men went down like 
nine-pins before the blows which rained on 
their heads like hail. 

The Philistines could not take Samson 
themselves but they encamped against the 
men of Judah, and these men, wearied already 
through many a lost battle, had no manhood 
left. 

Why are you come up against us? they cried 
in a panic. 

Come, cried the Philistines, Why have we 
come? We have reason enough. We have 
come to bind Samson, your champion, and we 
are going to serve him as he has served us. 

222 



SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN 

Samson was dwelling on the top of a moun- 
tain named Etam and this mountain was 
really a rocky fortress. 

He saw the three hundred men of Judah 
crawling and creeping and climbing up the 
steep sides of the fortress. When they were 
near enough they said, 

It's all very well for you, but the Philistines 
are our rulers and masters and you are doing 
us more harm than good. So we have come 
to deliver you into their hands. 

Very well, said Samson, who must have felt 
a good deal of contempt for these cowards; 
you may deliver me but swear that you will 
not yourselves fall upon me and kill me. 

Surely, they said, we will not kill you but 
we are going to surrender you to the Philis- 
tines so that we may have peace. 

They bound him securely with new ropes 
and carried their mighty captive down. 

But, on the way, the spirit of the Lord pos- 
sessed him and he snapped the ropes as if they 
had been cobwebs and, picking up the jawbone 
of an ass that lay beside the road, he sallied 
forth in front of the astonished Hebrews, hud- 

223 



THE STORY BIBLE 

dling in dismay behind him, and, single- 
handed, slew a thousand Philistines. 

The Philistines had had enough of trying to 
seize Samson. They withdrew to their own 
fastnesses and Samson became a judge over 
his people and ruled them twenty years. At 
the end of twenty years, Samson ventured into 
a Philistine city called Gaza and the men of 
the city, which had thick walls around it and 
great gates built to resist attacking foes, 
watched for hours that they might capture 
him. Midnight came and they fell asleep. In 
the morning they rubbed their eyes with as- 
tonishment, for the gates of Gaza were miss- 
ing. Samson had simply lifted them like feath- 
ers, bolts and bars and massive stones, mere 
playthings in his grasp, carried them to the 
brow of a neighboring hill and left them stand- 
ing there in plain sight. 

But alas! Some time after this Samson fell 
in love with a woman named Delilah. She 
did not love him but she made believe that 
she did and, through her, Samson's marvelous 
strength was overcome. 

The lords of the Philistines came to her 
224 



SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN 

and said, Entice Samson and see wherein 
his great strength lieth and by what means 
we may prevail against him, that we may bind 
him to afflict him; and every one of us will 
give thee eleven hundred pieces of silver. 

Then Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I 
pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth 
and wherewith thou mightest be bound to af- 
flict thee. 

And Samson replied to her, If they bind me 
with seven green twigs that were never dried 
then shall I be weak and be as another man. 

Then the lords of the Philistines brought 
up to her seven green twigs which had not 
been dried and she bound him with them. 

Now there were men concealed, abiding 
with her in the chamber. And she said so 
that they could hear, The Philistines be upon 
thee, Samson. And he brake the twigs as a 
thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the 
fire. So his strength was not known. 

And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, 
thou hast mocked me, and told me lies; now 
tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest 
be bound. 

' 225 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And he said unto her, If they bind me fast 
with new ropes that never were used, then 
shall I be weak and be as another man. 

Delilah therefore took new ropes and bound 
him with them and said, The Philistines be 
upon thee, Samson. And there were spies 
concealed in the chamber watching what 
should happen. But Samson broke the ropes 
that bound him as if they had been mere 
threads. Then Delilah was very angry and 
said, Hitherto thou hast mocked me and told 
me lies. Tell me now truly wherewith thou 
mightest be bound. Then Samson said to her, 
If thou wilt weave the seven locks of my head 
with the web, I will lose my great strength. 

So she fastened his hair with the pin and 
said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, 
Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and 
went away with the pin of the beam and with 
the web. 

And she said unto him, How canst thou say, 
I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? 
thou hast mocked me these three times and 
hast not told me wherein thy strength lieth. 

And it came to pass, when she pressed him 
226 



SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN 

daily with her words, and urged him, so that 
his soul was vexed unto death, that he told 
her all his heart and said unto her: There hath 
not come a razor upon mine head; for I have 
been a Nazarene unto God since my birth; if 
I be shaven then my strength will go from me 
and I shall become weak and be like any other 
man. 

And when Delilah saw that he had told her 
all his heart she sent and called for the lords 
of the Philistines, saying, Come up at once, 
for he hath showed me all his heart. Then the 
lords of the Philistines came up unto her and 
brought money in their hand. 

And she made him sleep upon her knees; 
and she called for a man and she caused him 
to shave off the seven locks of his head; and 
she began to afflict him and his strength went 
from him. 

And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, 
Samson. And he awoke from his sleep and 
said, I will go out as at other times before and 
shake myself. And he wist not that the 
Lord was departed from him. 

Poor Samson! By God's order his hair 
227 



THE STORY BIBLE 

was never to be cut. When he disobeyed God 
and allowed his locks to be shorn his strength 
went away in a moment. 

The Philistines carried him in triumph to 
Gaza. Its walls and gates could imprison him 
safely now. First they put out his eyes. Then 
they bound him with chains of brass. Then 
they made him grind corn in their dungeon. 

Blind and bound and a slave, behold Sam- 
son, weaker than any, who was the other day 
so strong ! The Lord had departed from him. 
Samson, poor fellow, had found this out too 
late. In his gloomy prison he began to think, 
perhaps to be sorry for his sins, perhaps to 
repent his foolish confidence in himself and to 
pray to God. His hair began to grow again 
and his strength to return. 

One day the lords of the Philistines gath- 
ered themselves together to offer a great sacri- 
fice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, for, 
they said, Our god hath delivered Samson, our 
enemy, into our hand. 

The Philistines were beyond measure de- 
lighted, for now they thought they would see 
their god's revenge upon Samson. It came 

228 



SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN 

to pass, when their hearts were merry, that 
they said, Call for Samson, that he may make 
us sport. So they called Samson out of the 
prison house; and he made them sport; and 
they set him between the pillars. They 
wished him to perform for their amusement. 

And Samson said unto the lad that held him 
by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the 
pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I 
may lean upon them. 

Now the house was full of men and women; 
and all the lords of the Philistines were there; 
and there were upon the roof about three 
thousand men and women that beheld while 
Samson made sport. 

And Samson called unto the Lord and said, 
O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and 
strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O 
God, that I may be avenged of the Philistines 
for my two eyes. 

And Samson took hold of the two middle 
pillars upon which the house stood and on 
which it was borne up, of the one with his 
right hand and of the other with his left, 

And Samson said, Let me die with the 
229 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Philistines. And he bowed himself with all 
his might; and the house fell upon the lords 
and upon all the people that were therein. So 
the dead whom he slew at his death were more 
than they whom he slew in his life. 

Thus Samson died and was buried. Though 
the strongest of men, he was in some ways 
the weakest, and his story has its moral for us. 

We are to obey God in what we fancy little 
things. We are to choose good companions, 
not bad ones. If sin gets hold of us it will 
treat us as the Philistines treated Samson. 
First it will blind our eyes and we shall not see 
how horrid it is. Then it will bind us in fet- 
ters of evil habits and take our strength away. 
Then it will make us serve like slaves in its 
prison house. 



230 



XXXI 
RUTH AND NAOMI 

ONCE, when a famine was sore in the land 
of Israel, a certain man of Bethlehem- 
judah went to stay awhile in the land of Moab. 

He took with him his wife Naomi and his 
two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. His name was 
Elimelech. 

In the land of Moab Elimelech died, and 
Naomi, v/idowed and sorrowful, tarried there 
with her two sons who had each found a wife 
among the daughters of Moab. The name of 
one was Orpah, the name of the other was 
Ruth. 

Ten years passed by and Mahlon and Chil- 
ion both died. Naomi, longing for Bethlehem, 
decided to go back to her old home. She was 
lonely and homesick; her husband and her 
sons gone, she hated the land of the stranger. 

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law 
that she might return from the country of 

231 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Moab; for she had heard that in the country 
of Moab the Lord had visited his people in 
giving them bread. 

Wherefore she went forth out of the place 
where she was and her two daughters-in-law 
with her; and they went on the way to return 
unto the land of Judah. 

And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in- 
law, Go, return each to her mother's house; 
the Lord deal kindly with you as ye have dealt 
with the dead and with me. 

The Lord grant that you may find rest, each 
of you in the house of her husband. Then she 
kissed them; and they lifted up their voices 
and wept. 

Their home had been in the house with 
Naomi. At that time, as in Eastern lands 
to-day, when a son married he brought his 
wife home to live with his mother. These 
daughters of Moab thought it was very hard 
to let this old mother go back all alone to her 
own land. They could not bear to do it, but 
she insisted that they must. 

Orpah at last kissed her mother-in-law and 
said farewell but Ruth clung to her and re- 

232 



RUTH AND NAOMI 

fused to be separated from Naomi. Ruth 
must have loved Naomi very much. All this 
shows that Naomi had been kind and loving 
to her daughters-in-law. 

When Orpah had gone Naomi said, Behold, 
thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people 
and unto her gods; return thou after thy sis- 
ter-in-law. 

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee 
or to return from following after thee; for 
whither thou goest I will go, and where thou 
lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my 
people and thy God my God. 

Where thou diest will I die and there will I 
be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more 
also, if aught but death part thee and me. 

When Naomi saw that Ruth was stead- 
fastly minded to go with her, she left off speak- 
ing against it to her. 

So they two went until they came to Bethle- 
hem; and it came to pass, when they were 
come to Bethlehem, that all the city was 
moved about them and they said, Is this 
Naomi? 

And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, 
233 



THE STORY BIBLE 

call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt 
very bitterly with me. 

I went out full and the Lord hath brought 
me home again empty; why then call ye me 
Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against 
me and the Almighty hath afflicted me? 

So Naomi returned to her own people and 
Ruth, the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, 
came with her from the country of Moab; and 
they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of 
the barley harvest. 

Though Naomi was at home again she was 
very, very poor and Ruth said to her, Let me 
now go to the field and glean ears of corn 
after him in whose sight I shall find favor. 

And Naomi said to her, Go, my daughter. 

Long years before, when Moses made laws 
for the Israelites, he had given this rule, and 
all devout land-owners observed it still: 

When ye reap the harvest of your land, ye 
shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, 
neither shall ye gather the gleanings of your 
harvest. Thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, 
neither shalt thou gather every grape of 
thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the 

234 



RUTH AND NAOMI 

poor and the stranger. I am the Lord thy 
God. 

Ruth, the stranger from Moab, beautiful 
and modest, went therefore to the fields of 
Boaz and gleaned after the reapers, gathering 
into her apron the ears that they left. 

Boaz, a man of great wealth, was of the 
kindred of Elimelech. 

He came from Bethlehem and said to the 
reapers, The Lord be with you, and they 
answered gravely, The Lord bless thee. 

Glancing over the wide field, his eye fell on 
Ruth and he said, 

Whose damsel is this? 

And the servant that was set over the reap- 
ers answered and said, It is the Moabitish 
damsel that came back with Naomi out of the 
country of Moab: 

And she said, I pray you, let me glean and 
gather after the reapers among the sheaves; 
so she came and hath continued even from the 
morning until now, that she tarried a little 
in the house. 

Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou 
not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another 

235 



THE STORY BIBLE 

field, neither go from hence, but abide here 
fast by my maidens; 

Let thine eyes be on the field that they do 
reap and go thou after them; have I not 
charged the young men that they shall not 
molest thee? And when thou art athirst, go 
unto the vessels and drink of that which the 
young men have drawn. 

Then she fell on her face and bowed herself 
to the ground and said unto him, Why have I 
found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldst 
take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? 

And Boaz answered and said unto her, It 
hath fully been showed me all that thou hast 
done unto thy mother-in-law since the death 
of thine husband; and how thou hast left thy 
father and thy mother and the land of thy 
nativity and art come unto a people which 
thou knewest not heretofore. 

The Lord recompense thy work and a full 
reward be given thee of the Lord God of 
Israel, under whose wings thou art come to 
trust. 

Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, 
my lord ; for that thou hast comforted me, and 

236 



RUTH AND NAOMI 

for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine 
handmaid, though I be not like unto one of 
thine handmaidens. 

And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come 
thou hither and eat of the bread, and dip 
thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside 
the reapers; and they reached her parched 
corn and she did eat and was sufficed and left. 

And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz 
commanded his young men saying, Let her 
glean even among the sheaves and reproach 
her not. 

So she gleaned in the field until even, and 
beat out that she had gleaned; and it was 
about an ephah of barley. 

And she took it up and went into the city; 
and her mother-in-law saw what she had 
gleaned; and she brought forth and gave to 
her that she had reserved after she was suf- 
ficed. 

And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where 
hast thou gleaned to-day? and where wrought- 
est thou? blessed be he that did take knowl- 
edge of thee. And she showed her mother-in- 
law with whom she had wrought and said, 

237 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The man's name with whom I wrought to- 
day is Boaz. 

And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, 
Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off 
his kindness to the living and to the dead. 
And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of 
kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. 

And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto 
me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young 
men until they have ended all my harvest. 

And Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter- 
in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go 
out with his maidens, that they meet thee not 
in any other field. 

So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to 
glean unto the end of the barley harvest and 
of the wheat harvest; and dwelt with her 
mother-in-law. 

This is one of the loveliest stories in the 
Bible. Ruth comforted her mother Naomi, 
and Boaz, who was of Naomi's own kinsfolk, 
watched the fair Ruth day by day. He saw 
her winsome grace, and her sweetness to 
Naomi pleased him and, having no wife, he 
decided to marry Ruth. Among the Jews 

238 



RUTH AND NAOMI 

there was a custom when a man died that his 
nearest unmarried relative should marry the 
widow. This explains the rest of the story. 

At the gate of the town of Bethlehem, court 
was held daily and, if land was bought or sold, 
the deeds were certified there. 

Then went Boaz up to the gate and sat him 
down there; and, behold, the kinsman of 
whom Boaz spoke came by; unto whom he 
said, Ho, such a one ! turn aside, sit down here. 
And he turned aside and sat down. 

And Boaz took ten men of the elders of the 
city and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat 
down. 

And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that 
is come again out of the country of Moab, 
selleth a parcel of land which was our brother 
Elimelech's. 

And I thought to advertise thee, saying, 
Buy it before the inhabitants and before the 
elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, 
redeem it; but if thou wilt not redeem it, then 
tell me that I may know; for there is none to 
redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. 
And he said, I will redeem it. 

239 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the 
field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it 
also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the 
dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon 
his inheritance. 

And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it 
for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance; 
redeem thou my right to thyself: for I cannot 
redeem it. 

Now this was the manner in former times in 
Israel concerning redeeming and concerning 
changing, for, to confirm all things, a man 
plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neigh- 
bor; and this was a testimony in Israel. 

Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy 
it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 

And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all 
the people, Ye are witnesses this day that I 
have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all 
that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of 
Naomi. 

Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of 
Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to 
raise up the name of the dead upon his in- 
heritance, that the name of the dead be not cut 

240 



RUTH AND NAOMI 

off from among his brethren and from the gate 
of his place; ye are witnesses this day. 

And all the people that were in the gate, and 
the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord 
make the woman that is come into thy house 
like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build 
the house of Israel; and do thou worthily in 
Ephratah and be famous in Bethlehem : 

And let thy house be like the house of 
Pharez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the 
offspring which the Lord shall give thee of 
this young woman. 

So Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife and 
she bare a son. 

And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed 
be the Lord which hath not left thee this day 
without a kinsman that his name may be 
famous in Israel. 

And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy 
life and a nourisher of thine old age; for thy 
daughter-in-law which loveth thee, which is 
better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him. 

And Naomi took the child and laid it in her 
bosom and became nurse unto it. 

And the women, her neighbors, gave it a 
241 



THE STORY BIBLE 

name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; 
and they called his name Obed: he is the father 
of Jesse, the father of David. 

So the fair Ruth, with her golden hair and 
her soft eyes, a daughter of Moab, became a 
mother and, in due time, when she was old, a 
grandmother. Her grandson was David, of 
whose royal line, in ages yet to be, the little 
Child of Heaven should be born in Bethlehem. 



242 



XXXII 
THE CHILD SAMUEL 

YEAR by year the people of Israel kept the 
great feasts of the Lord, and those who 
could do so went away from their own homes 
to worship at the temple in Shiloh. In this 
temple there was an old priest named Eli. He 
had served God many years and was a good 
man. 

One day, after the morning sacrifice was 
over, Eli noticed a woman kneeling before the 
altar. She seemed in great trouble and sobbed 
and cried bitterly as she called on the Lord in 
prayer. Eli thought she had been drinking 
wine and he reproved her, saying that she was 
behaving foolishly. How long wilt thou be 
drunken ? he said ; put away thy wine from thee. 

I think there was some excuse for Eli's mis- 
take in the fact that he was an old man who 
could not see so keenly as when he was young. 
It must have hurt the poor woman very much 
to be accused of so shameful a sin as intoxica- 

243 



THE STORY BIBLE 

tion, and if she had made him an angry answer 
no one could have been surprised. But she 
was too anxious to be cross or fretful though 
unjustly accused. 

No, my lord, she said, patiently. I am a 
woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk 
neither wine nor strong drink but have poured 
out my soul before the Lord. 

Count not thine handmaid as a daughter of 
Belial, for out of the abundance of my com- 
plaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 

Then Eli answered, Go in peace, and the 
God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou 
hast asked of him. 

Very much comforted by these kind words 
the woman arose and went on her way. 

The woman was Hannah, the wife of a man 
named Elkanah, a rich farmer and sheep 
owner of Mount Ephraim. She had every- 
thing on earth she wanted except one thing. 
Her husband loved her and did all he could to 
make her happy, but she had no child and she 
was always wishing for one. Her heart was 
like an empty nest. In the night she would 
wake up and reach out her hand, trying to 

244 



THE CHILD SAMUEL 

touch the little head she had been dreaming 
about. Year after year she went with Elkanah 
to the temple and prayed the good God to give 
her a little son. 

When another year came around Elkanah 
went to Shiloh alone, for Hannah's prayer had 
been heard and she had to stay at home and 
nurse the most beautiful babe that ever mother 
had. She named him Samuel, which means 
Asked of God. 

Before this baby's birth, when Hannah had 
knelt in the temple, she had made a vow or 
sacred promise to JEHOVAH that, if He an- 
swered her request, she would give the child 
to the Lord all the days of his life. 

So when Elkanah went up by himself she 
said, I am sorry, but I must now stay at home 
until my little child is weaned; then I will 
bring him that he may appear before the Lord 
and there abide forever. 

The good Elkanah agreed to this, for, 
though he, too, loved Samuel dearly, he would 
not keep him back when his mother had de- 
voted him to God's service. When the little 
one was weaned, which was after his third 

245 



THE STORY BIBLE 

birthday, the father and mother went together 
to the temple. Little Samuel went with them. 
By this time he could walk and talk, of course, 
and he knew already that he was a little child 
of God and somehow different from all other 
children. 

The parents brought a present with them, 
and in their train were three white bullocks 
for a sacrifice. 

Hannah went proudly up to Eli, leading her 
beautiful boy. 

Oh, my lord, she said, I am the woman who 
stood by thee here, praying to the Lord. Dost 
thou not remember? And she went on to tell 
him all about it lest it had slipped from his 
mind. 

For this child I prayed, she said, and the 
Lord heard and gave me my petition, there- 
fore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as 
he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. 

I like the word she used, lent. She felt that 
the Lord knew just what it meant for a mother 
to part with her only son, and that son a mere 
baby. Very likely she stayed at Shiloh for 
awhile and cared for the boy, at least until he 

246 



THE CHILD SAMUEL 

was a little older, but Samuel did not return 
to Mount Ephraim. Elkanah went back 
alone. Hannah, too, left Samuel in due time 
and had other children whom she loved. But 
every twelvemonth, when she came with her 
husband to the temple, she brought Samuel a 
little coat that she had made for him with her 
own hands. 

As for little Samuel, he lived with the good 
old priest and wore a priest's white linen robe 
and, though a child, did many little services 
for the Lord in the temple. Eli had become 
very frail and feeble and he was broken 
hearted because his own two sons, Hophni and 
Phineas, instead of being good, were as bad 
as bad could be. They robbed the people who 
brought offerings and they even dared to rob 
God. They were wicked men though their 
father was a saint. Samuel, with his sweet 
temper and swift obedience and gentle ways, 
was very dear to the old man. Samuel tried to 
do whatever Eli told him. He did not say, In 
a minute, or, Wait a little please, or, I can't, 
it's too hard; but when Eli spoke, Samuel has- 
tened to obey. 

247 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And thus it came to pass that for Samuel 
the words came true that our blessed Saviour 
Jesus Christ spoke, thousands of years after, 
in that same land of Judea, 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
see God. 

A most wonderful thing happened to 
Samuel. 

He was only a child, but he was wise beyond 
his years, and daily he ministered to the Lord 
before Eli. In those days the word of the 
Lord was very precious. People had so wan- 
dered away from the Lord that they did not 
often see His face or hear His voice. Of old 
He often talked with Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob, but now He hid His face and men did 
not feel so near Him as their fathers did. 

One night all was dark and still in the tem- 
ple. The lamp in the little shrine where the ark 
stood behind curtains had gone out: a lamp 
that should have burned both night and day. 

But Eli was old and his eyes were dim. 
Hophni and Phineas neglected their duties. 
Little Samuel lay down to sleep on his bed be- 
fore the lamp went out. 

248 



THE CHILD SAMUEL 

He was falling asleep as a child does, 
quickly and soundly, when somebody called 
him, not very loudly, but he heard his name. 

Samuel ! 

Here am I, he answered, springing up and 
running to Eli, for he thought the old man 
had called him. 

Lie down again, my son, said Eli. I did not 
call thee. 

Again came the call, clear, penetrating. 
Samuel, Samuel! The boy ran to Eli, ex- 
claiming, Here am I. Thou didst call me. 
He could not imagine how it was, or why, but 
he was sure it was Eli who summoned him. 
Not yet did Samuel know that sometimes God 
calls people by their names, not yet had God 
whispered to him, Samuel I have called thee by 
thy name. Thou art mine. But Eli knew. 
Old Eli, who would so gladly have heard 
God's call to him, whose heart felt a strange 
pang, whose dim eyes were wistful, as he said, 

I did not call thee, dear child. If the call 
come again, say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant 
heareth. 

So Samuel went and lay down. And the 
249 



THE STORY BIBLE 

third time the voice spoke, this time with an 
accent of command, that even the child felt, 
Samuel, Samuel! 

Speak, for thy servant heareth, said the boy. 

Then the Lord spoke to him. Many things 
God tells children that He reveals to no one 
else. Children are always a little nearer 
heaven than older people are. But the things 
God told Samuel were so sorrowful, so deep 
and mysterious, that the boy was never the 
same, never so much a child after that. 

For it was revealed to him that the wicked 
sons of Eli should soon meet a violent death, 
that Eli himself should die suddenly and that, 
worst of all, the ark of God would be taken 
away by the Philistines. The ark of God was 
the most sacred treasure of the Hebrews and, 
after it was taken, Eli did not want to live. 
In his misery and blindness, he stumbled and 
fell, and was killed instantly. A child who 
was born on that awful day was named by his 
mother, Ichabod, which means, The glory is 
departed, for the ark of God is taken. 

As for Samuel, he grew more and more in 
wisdom, and ruled his people many years. 

250 



XXXIII 
THE RETURN OF THE ARK 

THE Philistines were triumphant when 
they found that they had captured the 
ark of God. They carried it at once to the 
temple of their idol god, Dagon, and their 
priests set it before Dagon in pride as a 
trophy. 

Their boastfulness was not to last long. 
The first morning after the ark had been left 
in the house of Dagon, when the priests en- 
tered, bowing low to the earth, there was 
Dagon tumbled down from his pedestal and 
lying helpless on the floor. Dagon was only 
an image carved out of wood. How could he 
help himself? The priests lifted him up and 
set him back in his place. 

Next morning, when they opened the door 
of Dagon's house, there lay the poor idol, this 
time a perfect wreck. His head was cut off. 
He lay in a ruinous heap in his desolate house, 
which no man ever entered again. 

251 



THE STORY BIBLE 

But this was not enough. Ashdod, to which 
place the ark of God was brought, was laid 
waste with a fearful plague and the Philistines, 
in the midst of their ravages and their forays, 
stopped and began to think. 

The ark of the God of Israel, said their wise 
men, shall not abide with us. The God of 
Israel has stretched cut His hand against us 
and against Dagon our god. 

They sent therefore and gathered all the 
lords of the Philistines unto them and said, 
What shall we do with the ark of the God of 
Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of 
the God of Israel be carried away unto Gath. 
And they carried the ark of the God of Israel 
thither. 

And it was so that, after they had carried it 
to Gath, the hand of the Lord was against the 
city with a very great destruction; and He 
smote the men of the city, both small and 
great. 

Therefore they sent the ark of God to 
Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of 
God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried 
out, saying, They have brought hither the ark 

252 



THE RETURN OF THE ARK 

of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our 
people. 

So they sent and gathered together all the 
lords of the Philistines and said, Send away 
the ark of the God of Israel and let it go again 
to its own place, that it slay not us and our 
people; for there was a deadly destruction 
throughout all the city; the hand of God was 
heavy there. And the cry of the city went up 
to heaven. 

For seven long months the ark of God tar- 
ried in the land of the Philistines. Then, in 
despair, the Philistines sent it home. They 
sent it home with gifts of gold and silver, hop- 
ing to avert the wrath of the God whom they 
did not worship. 

They said, We will send the ark home in 
a cart drawn by two cows, that have little 
calves at home. If these cows go directly to 
Beth-shemesh, where the Hebrews are, we 
shall then be sure that it is their God who has 
smitten us. If the ark wavers and turns aside, 
if the two cows turn and go back to their 
young, we shall know that the Hebrews' God 
had nothing to do with our trouble. 

253 



THE STORY BIBLE 

They watched. The cart went straight on 
the high road to Beth-shemesh. It turned 
neither to the right nor to the left. 

The men of Beth-shemesh were reaping 
their wheat in the valley. When they looked 
up and saw the ark coming home they rejoiced 
with shouting and offered sacrifices. But they 
violated the sanctity of the ark by peeping in 
it and by touching the gold and silver of the 
Philistines. A great many of them died in 
consequence and so the Beth-shemesh people 
were afraid to be near the ark. They sent to 
the men of Kirjath-jearim, begging them to 
come and take it away. You see the Hebrews 
were not in earnest in their worship of God. 
They had become polluted by the heathen and 
some of them followed the pagan rites of the 
Philistines. It was just that they should be 
punished as the Philistines were, for they were 
really much more to blame than they. Every 
Hebrew knew better than to touch the ark. 

It was Samuel who gathered the people 
together, and told them to repent of their sins 
and return to their old love and reverence. He 
prayed with them and for them. They burned 

254 



THE RETURN OF THE ARK 

up their false gods and started anew in the 
worship of God. 

Then, when again they had a battle with 
their enemies the Lord fought on their side 
and the Philistines were discomfited. 

The people of Israel had, until this point 
in their history, been ruled by judges who 
were told what to do or to leave undone by 
God himself. 

But now they wanted to have a king and 
they began to ask for one. They were not 
satisfied with Samuel, and they were discon- 
tented with his sons, who, like Eli's sons in 
other days, were corrupt and dishonest. Good 
fathers do not always have good sons. 

Behold thou art old, said the people. We 
do not trust thy sons. Let us have a king as 
other nations have. 



255 



XXXIV 
THE FIRST KING 

THERE was a good deal of discussion, 
and Samuel explained that kings were 
not the easiest people to get on with, that 
they needed a great many servants and were 
apt, in one and another way, to cost a good 
deal of money. But the men of Israel were 
set on their own way. A king they wanted 
and the Lord told Samuel that he must find 
them a king. 

In the land of the tribe of Benjamin there 
was then living a man named Kish, a mighty 
man of power, and he had a son named Saul. 
This youth was very tall, taller by head and 
shoulders than anybody else in Israel, and a 
goodly person, handsome and attractive. 

It happened that the asses of Kish had 
strayed away. They were valuable property 
and Kish sent his son Saul to look for them. 
Saul, with a servant, tramped up hill and 
down dale, and days passed, but they could 
not find the lost beasts. They went from 

256 



THE FIRST KING 

place to place, inquiring, and seeking, but no 
word did they hear of the asses. 

Finally Saul said to the servant, Let us go 
back, lest my father be anxious. He will leave 
off worrying about the asses and think we are 
lost. 

The servant said, In this city that is near 
us there lives a man of God. Let us go and 
ask his advice. He will know what we would 
better do. 

But, said Saul, How are we to go to a man 
of God? We have nothing to give him, no 
present; we even have no bread left. What 
shall we do? 

I have a little money left, the servant said; 
we will offer him that. 

In those days money was heavy and was 
weighed in scales. It was part of a servant's 
burden. Not as now was it carried by the 
owner of it, if any one else could relieve him. 

Well said, replied Saul. We will go to the 
seer. 

And as they went up the hill to the city 
they met young maidens going out to draw 
water and said unto them, Is the seer here? 

257 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And they answered him and said, He is; 
behold, he is before you; make haste now for 
he came to-day to the city; for there is a sacri- 
fice of the people to-day in the high place. 

As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall 
straightway find him, before he go up to the 
high place to eat; for the people will not eat 
until he come, because he doth bless the sacri- 
fice; and afterwards they eat who are bidden. 
Now therefore get you up; for about this time 
ye shall find him. 

And they went up into the city; and when 
they were come there, behold, Samuel met 
them as he went up to the high place. 

Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear 
a day before Saul came, saying, 

To-morrow about this time I will send thee 
a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou 
shalt anoint him to be captain over my people 
Israel, that he may save my people out of the 
hand of the Philistines : for I have looked upon 
my people, because their cry is come unto me. 

And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said 
unto him, Behold the man whom I told thee 
of! this man shall reign over my people. 

258 



THE FIRST KING 

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, 
and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's 
house is. 

And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am 
the seer: go up before me unto the high place; 
for thou shalt eat with me to-day, and to-mor- 
row I will let thee go, and will tell thee all 
that is in thine heart. 

And as for thine asses that were lost three 
days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they 
are found. And on whom is all the desire of 
Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy 
father's house? 

And Saul answered and said, Am not I a 
Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of 
Israel? and my family the least of all the fam- 
ilies of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then 
speakest thou so to me? 

And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and 
brought them into the guest-room, and made 
them sit in the chief place among them that 
were bidden, who were about thirty persons. 

And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the por- 
tion which I gave thee, of which I said, Set it 
by thee. 

259 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And the cook took up the shoulder, and that 
which was upon it, and set it before Saul. 
And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! 
set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time 
hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have 
invited the people. So Saul did eat with 
Samuel that day. 

And when they were come down from the 
high place into the city, Samuel communed 
with Saul upon the top of the house. 

And they arose early: and it came to pass 
about the spring of the day, that Samuel 
called Saul to the top of the house, saying, 
Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul 
arose, and they went out both of them, he and 
Samuel, abroad. 

And as they were going down to the end of 
the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant 
pass on before us (and he passed on), but 
stand thou still awhile, that I may show thee 
the word of God. 

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured 
it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is 
it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to 
be captain over his inheritance? 

260 



THE FIRST KING 

When thou art departed from me to-day ? 
then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's 
sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; 
and they will say unto thee, The asses which 
thou wen test to seek are found: and, lo, thy 
father hath left the care of the asses, and taken 
thought for you, saying, What shall I do for 
my son? 

Then shalt thou go forward from thence, 
and thou shalt come to the oak of Tabor, and 
there shall meet thee there three men going 
up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, 
and another carrying three loaves of bread, 
and another carrying a bottle of wine : 

And they will salute thee, and give thee two 
loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of 
their hands. 

After that thou shalt come to the hill of 
God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: 
and it shall come to pass, when thou art come 
thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band 
of prophets coming down from the high place 
with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and 
a harp, before them; and they shall be proph- 
esying. 

261 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And the Spirit of the Lord will come might- 
ily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy 
with them, and shalt be turned into another 
man. 

And let it be, when these signs are come 
unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; 
for God is with thee. 

And thou shalt go down before me to Gil- 
gal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, 
to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacri- 
fices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou 
tarry, till I come unto thee, and show thee 
what thou shalt do. 

And it was so, that, when he had turned his 
back to go from Samuel, God gave him an- 
other heart: and all those signs came to pass 
that day. 

And when they came thither to the hill, be- 
hold, a band of prophets met him; and the 
Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he 
prophesied among them. 

And it came to pass, when all that knew him 
beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied 
with the prophets, then the people said one 
to another, What is this that is come unto 

262 



THE FIRST KING 

the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the 
prophets? 

And one of the same place answered and 
said, And who is their father? Therefore it 
became a proverb, Is Saul also among the 
prophets? 

And when he had made an end of prophe- 
sying, he came to the high place. 

And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his 
servant, Whither went ye? And they said, To 
seek the asses: and when we saw that they 
were not found, we came to Samuel. 

And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, 
what Samuel said unto you. 

And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us 
plainly that the asses were found. But con- 
cerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof 
Samuel spoke, he told him not. 

And Samuel called the people together unto 
the Lord to Mizpeh; 

And said unto the children of Israel, Thus 
saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up 
Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of 
the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the 

263 



THE STORY BIBLE 

hand of all kingdoms, and of them that op- 
pressed you: 

And ye have this day rejected your God, 
who himself saved you out of all your calam- 
ities and your distresses, and ye have said 
unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now 
therefore present yourselves before the Lord 
by your tribes, and by your thousands. 

So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel 
near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 
And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near 
by their families, and the family of the Ma- 
trites was taken: and Saul the son of Kish 
was taken; but when they sought him, he 
could not be found. Therefore they asked of 
the Lord further, is there yet a man to come 
hither? And the Lord answered, Behold, he 
hath hid himself among the stuff. 

And they ran and fetched him thence: and 
when he stood among the people, he was 
higher than any of the people from his shoul- 
ders and upward. 

And Samuel said to all the people, See ye 
him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is 
none like him among all the people? And all 

264 



THE FIRST KING 

the people shouted and said, God save the 
king. 

Then Samuel told the people the manner of 
the kingdom, and wrote it in a book and laid 
it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all 
the people away, every man to his house. 

And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and 
there went with him a band of men, whose 
hearts God had touched. 

But the children of Belial said, How shall 
this man save us? And they despised him and 
brought him no presents. But he held his 
peace. 



265 



XXXV 
THE WARS OF SAUL 

SAUL had no sooner been anointed king 
than he found himself obliged to go into 
battle. It was quite wonderful that a young 
man who had been living quietly at home with 
his father should have known how to lead his 
people against the warlike Amalekites, Moab- 
ites and Philistines, who were always swarm- 
ing against the Hebrews. At this time the 
Hebrews were so occupied with the care of 
sheep and cattle that they had lost the knowl- 
edge of many of the useful arts. For in- 
stance, there was no smith in the land of 
Israel and, when they wanted to sharpen a 
sword or fashion a spear, or even repair an 
axe or a plough, they were obliged to go over 
and ask favors of their enemies the Philis- 
tines. The Philistines took good care that the 
Hebrews should be dependent upon them. 
They had got into the habit of conquering the 
Hebrews and they did not expect any change. 

266 



THE WARS OF SAUL 

But Saul at once blew a trumpet and, with his 
brave son Jonathan, took the field. In the 
very first battle, with three thousand men, 
Saul overcame a host of Philistines arrayed 
against him, with thirty thousand chariots, 
six thousand horsemen and people as numer- 
ous as the sand on the seashore. He suc- 
ceeded equally in several battles and Jonathan, 
his son, on one occasion, attacked a garrison 
in a stronghold with nobody to help him ex- 
cept the young man who carried his armor. 
Jonathan and the armor-bearer overcame the 
garrison, pursued their fleeing foes, and then 
mingled in a battle that had begun while they 
were absent, and helped to bring salvation to 
the people. Saul fought against his enemies 
on every side and, wherever he turned, he was 
successful until he began to be proud and 
haughty and to think that he knew better than 
the Lord. When he did this, the Lord de- 
parted from him, and Samuel who had been 
his friend all along, came and told him that 
God had determined to take the kingdom from 
him and to put in his place another whom He 
had chosen and whom Samuel described as a 

267 



THE STORY BIBLE 

man after God's own heart. This was a great 
trouble to Saul. He brooded over it night and 
day. Although he had a loving wife and many 
children, although Jonathan his son was of 
princely character, yet Saul was unhappy, so 
unhappy that it seemed as if an evil spirit had 
taken possession of him. He sat in his palace 
with sadness in his face, and nobody dared ap- 
proach him. 

Samuel, who loved him dearly, stopped 
coming to see him, and this greatly grieved 
Saul. He could not forget the last words 
Samuel said to him. 

Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt of- 
ferings and sacrifices as in those who obey the 
commands of the Lord? Behold, to obey is 
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the 
fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of 
witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and 
idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word 
of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from 
being king. 

Samuel was now very old. He sat in his 
house in Ramah and mourned for Saul until 
one day the Lord said to him, Stop grieving 

268 



THE WARS OF SAUL 

and mourning for Saul. Fill thine horn with 
oil and go. I will send thee to Jesse the Beth- 
lehemite. For I have provided me a king 
among his sons. 

You must think of Samuel as an old, old 
man, with white hair and snowy beard, a man- 
tle wrapped about him and a staff in his hand. 
Over the hills and vales he took his journey 
until he came to Bethlehem where he entered 
the house of Jesse. He said to Jesse that he 
had come on purpose to offer a sacrifice with 
him. And Jesse called his household together, 
seven tall sons, who passed before Samuel, one 
by one. The first was Eliab, the eldest, who 
was so strong and beautiful that Samuel said 
in his heart, Surely this is the one the Lord 
means to choose. But the Lord said, No, this 
is not the one I have chosen. Do not look on 
his countenance nor on his stature. The Lord 
seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on 
the outward appearance but the Lord looketh 
on the heart. 

In those days a father set great store by his 
eldest son. It was a great disappointment to 
Jesse that the prophet paid so little attention 

269 



THE STORY BIBLE 

to Eliab. But he called Abinadab his second 
son and made him pass before Samuel. 
Samuel shook his head. Neither hath the 
Lord chosen this, he said. Then Jesse made 
Shammah to pass by. Samuel said, again 
shaking his head, Neither hath the Lord 
chosen this. 

In turn Jesse made seven of his sons to pass 
before Samuel. It was just the same in every 
case; not one of them was the choice of the 
Lord. Samuel turned to Jesse and said, Are 
all thy children here? 

No, said Jesse, there is still one, the young- 
est, a mere lad. He is out in the field with the 
sheep. You surely would not care for him. 

But Samuel answered, Send and fetch him. 
We will not sit down until he is here. 

Somebody went in a great hurry and said 
to the boy who was out herding the sheep, the 
boy whom nobody had much considered up to 
this moment, Make haste and come home. 
There is a prophet up at the house and he re- 
fuses to sit down at the table until you are 
there. We cannot imagine what he wants of 
you, but he is not to be moved by persuasion 

270 



THE WARS OF SAUL 

and your father wishes you to lose not a mo- 
ment, but come as fast as you can. 

So, breathless and eager, the boy came run- 
ning in. He was all in a glow, with cheeks 
like the rose, a beautiful pure face, brave and 
fearless. He looked straight at Samuel as he 
stood in the doorway, and Samuel thought 
that he had never seen any one who was finer 
and nobler. He was good to look at, and the 
Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. 

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and 
anointed David in the midst of his brethren, 
and the spirit of the Lord came upon David 
from that day. None of them fully under- 
stood what this anointing meant, but the 
household went on just as usual and David just 
as usual took care of the sheep in the fields. 

As he herded the sheep, he often played 
sweet strains upon his harp. One day mes- 
sengers came again to the house in Bethlehem 
and said, Our master the king, even Saul, is 
melancholy and sore distressed by an evil 
spirit that has come upon him. We have 
heard that you have a son who can play the 
harp, and we want him to go back with us and 

271 



THE STORY BIBLE 

cheer the poor king. So David left the sheep, 
took his harp, and went to the court of King 
Saul. You must note that David was ready at 
a moment's notice. 

When he stood before Saul, Saul loved him 
greatly and made him his armor-bearer. As 
often as the unhappy mood came back to the 
king, David played on his harp and drove the 
evil spirit away. 

He stayed with Saul until Saul grew strong 
and well and was ready once more to fight 
with his old foes, the Philistines. 

Then David returned to Bethlehem and, as 
before, took care of the sheep. 

I think some of you will like to read in this 
place, part of a great poem, written by Robert 
Browning, which tells you what sort of tunes 
the youthful David played on his harp for 
King Saul. The king was sitting moping in 
his tent, all in the dark, and the shepherd boy 
ran up and saw him looking as black as a 
thunder-cloud and paying no attention to any 
one. Boldly he tuned his harp, and first he 
played with the skillful touch of a true artist, 
in long, melting chords, 

272 



THE WARS OF SAUL 

The tune all our sheep know, as one after one, 

So docile they come to the pen-door till fold- 
ing be done. 

They are white and untorn by the bushes, for 
lo, they have fed 

Where the long grasses stifle the water within 
the stream's bed; 

And now one after one seeks its lodging, as 
star follows star 

Into eve and the blue far above us — so blue 
and so far! 

Then the tune, for which quails on the corn- 
land will each leave his mate 
To fly after the player; then, what makes the 

crickets elate 
Till for boldness they fight one another: and 

then, what has weight 
To set the quick jerboa a-musing outside his 

sand house — 
There are none such as he for a wonder, half 

bird and half mouse! 
God made all the creatures and gave them our 

love and our fear, 
To give sign, we and they are his children, one 

family here. 

Some day when you are older, you may enjoy 
reading this poem as a whole. 

273 



XXXVI 
DAVID AND GOLIATH 

DAVID returned to Bethlehem to keep his 
father's sheep and three of his brothers 
went to fight in Saul's army. The Philistines 
had set their battle in array on a mountain 
side. The Israelites were drawn up in battle 
line on the other side, also on a mountain, and 
between the two armies there was a valley. 
But, though they faced each other in grim 
earnest, days passed without the striking of 
a blow. Sometimes battles were lost and won 
in single combat; a brave champion would 
step out from one side, hurl a defiant chal- 
lenge to the other, and wait for some one to 
come and fight with him. It happened in this 
way now. A champion named Goliath of 
Gath sallied forth from the camp of the Philis- 
tines, a mighty giant who towered above ordi- 
nary men and who was clothed in armor from 
head to foot. He was great and strong. He 
had a helmet of brass upon his head and he 

274 



DAVID AND GOLIATH 

wore a coat of mail. In his hand he waved 
a mighty spear, his spear's head weighed six 
hundred shekels of iron, but he tossed it about 
like a feather. This giant cried with a terrible 
voice to the armies of Israel, Why are ye 
come out to set your battle in array? Am not 
I a Philistine and ye servants of Saul? Choose 
you a man for yourselves and let him come 
down to me. If he be able to fight with me 
and to kill me, then will we be your servants. 
But if I prevail against him and kill him, then 
shall ye be our servants and serve us. 

And the Philistine said, I defy the armies 
of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may 
fight together. 

Saul must have lost most of his old courage. 
You remember that the Lord had departed 
from him. He was very much afraid of the 
Philistine and the whole camp shared his fear. 
They listened to the arrogant champion with 
quaking hearts. The Philistine came out 
every morning and every evening for forty 
days, saying the same thing, and not a man 
so much as dared to answer his challenge. 

About this time Jesse, at home in Bethle- 
275 



THE STORY BIBLE 

hem, bethought himself about his sons who 
were in the field and concluded to send David 
with a present to them. 

He said, Take now for thy brethren an 
ephah of this parched corn and these ten 
loaves and run to the camp to thy brethren, 
and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of 
their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare 
and take their pledge. An ephah was a little 
over three pecks, as the Hebrews measured 
wheat and corn. 

David rose up early in the morning, left the 
sheep with the keeper and, as his father had 
commanded him, went to the place where the 
host was going forth to the fight. 

Army against army they stood, angry and 
menacing, with their battalions in array; but, 
though there was much shouting and now 
and then perhaps a foray, there was no real 
fight. David left the things he had brought 
with the proper person, ran into the army, 
found his brothers and saluted them. While 
he was talking with them, up came the Philis- 
tine, thundering out his defiant challenge. To 
David's surprise the men around him huddled 

276 



DAVID AND GOLIATH 

together in fright and some of them ran into 
their tents. David could not understand it. 
His eyes flashed. He threw back his shoul- 
ders, held up his head and his lips were sternly 
set. 

What is the meaning of this? he said, 
Ah, said the men around him, that great 
giant is so strong that we have nobody who 
dares to tackle him. If anybody could fight 
with him and kill him, the king would enrich 
him with great riches and make his father's 
house free in Israel, and give him one of the 
princesses to be his wife. 

David did not care much for these bril- 
liant promises. His heart was filled with 
anger that a reproach had fallen upon Israel 
in that an uncircumcised Philistine should 
dare defy the armies of the living God. He 
went from one to another speaking words of 
hot anger. Eliab, his oldest brother, was very 
much annoyed. His anger was kindled 
against David, and he said, scornfully, Why 
did you come here? With whom did you 
leave the few sheep in the wilderness? You 
have come down to look at the battle. I know 

*77 



THE STORY BIBLE 

your pride and the folly of your heart and you 
would better go home again. 

David held his head high. He could not 
stop to think of Eliab's disdain at this crisis. 
He spoke to one and another and finally his 
brave words were repeated in the ear of Saul 
and Saul sent for him. The king did not know 
that this was the youth who had played the 
harp for him in the days of his illness. He 
thought it was a stranger. 

And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart 
fail because of him. Thy servant will go and 
fight with this Philistine. 

And Saul said to David, Thou art not able 
to go against this Philistine to fight with him, 
for thou art but a youth and he has been a 
man of war from his youth. 

And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept 
his father's sheep and there came a lion and 
again a bear and took a lamb out of the flock. 
And I went after him and smote him and deliv- 
ered it out of his mouth. And when he arose 
against me I caught him by his beard and 
smote him and slew him. Thy servant slew 
both the lion and the bear, and this uncircum- 

278 



DAVID AND GOLIATH 

cised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing 
he hath defied the armies of the living God. 

David said, Moreover, the Lord who deliv- 
ered me out of the paw of the lion and out of 
the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of 
the hand of this Philistine. 

And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord 
be with thee. 

Then Saul armed David with his own ar- 
mor, put a helmet of brass on his head, and 
clothed him with a coat of mail. And David 
girded his sword upon his side and started to 
meet the Philistine. But the armor was too 
heavy for him and he laid it off. 

It is never well to fight a battle in anybody's 
armor but your own. David was wise in 
finding this out. 

He took in his hand his shepherd's staff, 
and he chose five smooth stones out of the 
brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which 
he carried, and his sling was in his hand as he 
drew near to the Philistine. 

There they stand, the mighty giant in shin- 
ing armor and the slender boy with the shep- 
herd's staff and the sling. 

279 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The Philistine looking about saw David and 
scorned him. He laughed loud and disdain- 
fully and the Israelites heard him. Am I a 
dog, he said, that thou comest to me with 
a staff? And he cursed David by his gods. 

Come to me, he shouted, and I will give thy 
flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts 
of the field. 

But David had his answer ready. Boldly 
and clearly his words rang out far over the 
field till both armies heard them. Thou 
comest to me with a sword and with a spear 
and with a shield, but I come to thee in the 
name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the ar- 
mies of Israel whom thou hast defied. This 
day shall the Lord deliver thee into mine hand, 
and I will smite thee and take thine head from 
thee. And I will give the bodies of the host 
of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of 
the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that 
all the earth may know that there is a God in 
Israel. And all this assembly shall know that 
the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for 
the battle is the Lord's and he shall give you 
into our hands. 

280 



DAVID AND GOLIATH 

The Philistine, hearing this defiance, came 
striding forward in fierce anger and the 
ground seemed to shake beneath his tread. 
David ran fearlessly forward to meet him. 
Swiftly David put his hand into his bag, drew 
out a stone and cast it from his sling. It struck 
the Philistine in his forehead, in the one place 
that the helmet did not protect. The stone 
sank into his forehead and down he fell head- 
long, his mighty bulk prone upon the earth. 

So David prevailed over the Philistine and 
smote the Philistine and slew him, but there 
was no sword in the hands of David. He ran, 
stood upon the Philistine and, with the giant's 
own sword, he cut off the giant's head. 

When Saul saw David go forth against the 
Philistine, he said to Abner the captain of the 
host, Abner, whose son is this youth? 

Abner said, O king, I cannot tell. 

As David returned from the slaughter of the 
Philistine, Abner led him in to the presence of 
Saul. 

And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou? 

David answered, I am the son of thy serv- 
ant, Jesse the Bethlehemite. 

281 



THE STORY BIBLE 

From this time David remained with Saul, 
and there grew up a strong friendship between 
David and Jonathan, Saul's son. 

In future days David became one of the 
greatest kings, and one of the mightiest cap- 
tains who have ever lived upon the earth. But 
he had a great deal to go through before he 
really sat upon the throne. The Hebrew 
women came out from all the cities of Israel, 
singing and dancing, to meet King Saul 
when the men returned victorious after the 
slaughter of the Philistine. They answered 
one another as they played on their timbrels, 
saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and 
David his ten thousands. 

This made Saul very angry and he eyed 
David with fierce jealousy from that day on- 
ward. Several times he tried to kill him, so 
that David avoided his presence and, although 
he was soon married to Saul's daughter, he 
did not go near the palace when he could help 
himself. 

Saul saw that his daughter loved her hus- 
band and he knew that Jonathan was David's 
friend. This made him the more angry. On 

282 



DAVID AND GOLIATH 

one occasion he sent messengers to David's 
house to entice him away, meaning to assas- 
sinate him, but Michal, David's wife, let her 
husband down through a window and he es- 
caped through the fields and fled. This was not 
because David was afraid of Saul, but he did 
not wish to lift up his hand against the king. 
His wife took an image, laid it in the bed and 
covered it with a quilt. When Saul's messen- 
gers came, they forced their way into the 
house that they might take David away. But 
they found only the image. David meanwhile 
went away to Samuel, the old prophet who had 
poured the anointing oil on his head, and for 
awhile he lived at Ramah with Samuel. 



283 



T 



XXXVII 

A FOREST CHIEFTAIN 

HE soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul 
J- of David. While David was doing 
what he could to keep out of Saul's way, 
Jonathan was on the watch against any plots 
of Saul. The noble fellow could not believe 
that his father's enmity was so great. When 
David said to him, What have I done, what is 
mine iniquity, and what is my sin before thy 
father, that he seeks my life? Jonathan said, 
I am sure there is some mistake. God forbid. 
Thou shalt not die. Behold, my father will do 
nothing great or small without telling me. 
Why should he hide such a thing from me? It 
is not so. 

But David was keener and had more insight 
into character than Jonathan had. He said, 
Thy father certainly knoweth that I have 
found grace in thine eyes. He says, Let not 
Jonathan know this lest he be grieved, but 

284 



A FOREST CHIEFTAIN 

truly, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, 
there is but a step between me and death. 

When Jonathan heard this he watched more 
carefully than ever, and before many days he 
was convinced that David must fly for his 
life. The two friends met in a lonely place, 
kissed and embraced each other, and ex- 
changed a solemn vow of lifelong friendship. 
Then they separated. David and the young 
men who were with him found refuge in the 
woods and in caves of the mountains. For 
awhile David was sheltered by Achish, a king 
of the Philistines. Achish would have been the 
last one to give an asylum to the man who had 
killed Goliath, but David pretended to be in- 
sane, and the Philistines did not dare to inter- 
fere with a man whose wits were wandering 
as they thought such people were under the 
care of their gods. 

As soon as David thought it was safe, he 
left the Philistines' camp and made his head- 
quarters in the cave of Adullam. Here he was 
joined by all his brothers and nephews and the 
men of his father's house, a strong warlike 
band of valiant men. A good many others, 

285 



THE STORY BIBLE 

every one who was in distress, every one who 
was in debt, every one who was discontented, 
gathered themselves to him; and before long 
he was the forest chief and commander of a 
company of four hundred desperate and de- 
termined men. He was like Robin Hood, an 
outlaw in the woods. 

You need not suppose that Saul was pleased 
when he heard this. It gave him a great deal 
of anxiety. He was not even placated when 
David and his band made a dash and deliv- 
ered a stronghold called Keilah from the Phil- 
istines. Saul continued to plot against 
David's life. It was borne in on his mind 
that David should be his successor on the 
throne and the thought of it made him frantic 
with rage. Jonathan, who but for David 
would have been the heir to the throne, re- 
mained loyal to his friend. Again and again 
he sought David out in the dens and caves of 
the wood and comforted him and brought him 
help. 

It came to pass at last that Saul took an 
army of three thousand picked soldiers and 
went in pursuit of David and his men among 

286 



A FOREST CHIEFTAIN 

the rocks of the wild goats. It was a sort of 
game of hide and seek, for the outlaws knew 
all the hiding places of the hills and were at 
home there and could secrete themselves be- 
hind bushes and trees and in wild ravines and 
laugh when Saul and his army came heavily 
lumbering by. Weary and worn Saul lay 
down to sleep in a cave. He had walked lit- 
erally into the open mouth of the lion, for 
David and his men were at the very time hid- 
den in the sides of the cave. A meaner man 
than David would have killed his enemy as he 
lay asleep, but he did not allow one of his men 
to touch Saul and he himself did nothing ex- 
cept cut off the skirt of Saul's robe. When 
Saul had gone out of the cave and was at a lit- 
tle distance, he heard a cry, My lord the king ! 
Looking back, he saw David bending with his 
face to the earth. David said, How easily 
could I have killed thee this day, as some bade 
me. The Lord had delivered thee into mine 
hand in the cave, but, I said, I will not put 
forth mine hand against my lord for he is the 
Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, see the 
skirt of thy robe in mine hand. In that I cut 

287 



THE STORY BIBLE 

this off and killed thee not, know thou that I 
have not sinned against thee, yet thou huntest 
my soul to take it. The Lord judge between 
me and thee. 

At this Saul's conscience was moved and he 
said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And 
Saul lifted up his voice and wept and he said 
to David, Thou art more righteous than I, for 
thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have 
rewarded thee evil. 

And now behold I know well that thou shalt 
surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel 
shall be established in thine hand. Swear now 
therefore unto me by the Lord that thou wilt 
not destroy my name out of my father's house 
nor cut off my children after me. And David 
swore. Nevertheless, with his men, he retired 
to a stronghold in the rocks. 

About this time Samuel, the prophet, died 
and there was great lamentation for him in 
Israel. Less than ever did David after this 
put faith in the promises of Saul. 

There happened to be, in the neighborhood 
where David and his followers were hiding, a 
man of Mount Carmel who was very rich. 

288 



A FOREST CHIEFTAIN 

He had three thousand sheep and a thousand 
goats. This man's name was Nabal. He was 
a churl of morose and sordid disposition, a 
man whom it was very hard for any one to live 
with. Fortunately for himself he had a good 
and beautiful wife whose name was Abigail. 
At the time of the sheep shearing, which was 
a festival, David sent ten of his young men 
saying, Go up to Mount Carmel and greet 
Nabal in my name. And thus shall ye say to 
him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be to thee 
and peace to thine house and peace unto all 
thou hast. I have heard that thou hast shear- 
ers. Now thy shepherds have been with us, 
and we have hurt them not. Not a lamb nor a 
sheep has been missing from thy flocks while 
thy shepherds were in Carmel. Wherefore, 
as we come in a good way, give I pray thee 
some present to thy servant and to thy son 
David. 

Very courteously the young men made this 
request, but Nabal answered with rude insults 
and a frowning brow. Who is David? And 
who is the son of Jesse? There be many serv- 
ants nowadays that break away, every man 

289 



THE STORY BIBLE 

from his master. Shall I then take my bread 
and my water and my flesh that I have killed 
for my shearers and give it to men whom I do 
not know and whom I despise? 

Furious with anger, David's young men 
hurried back to him. They told him Nabal's 
words just as he had spoken them. David 
said, Gird ye on every man his sword, and im- 
mediately four hundred men ready to obey 
David's bidding sallied forth. They meant to 
exterminate Nabal and his people and take all 
the spoil they wanted. But some of Nabal's 
servants made haste to Abigail, the lady of 
the manor, and told her all about it. They 
said, Behold, David sent messengers out of the 
wilderness to salute our master. And he 
railed on them. But the men were very good 
unto us and we were not hurt, neither missed 
we anything as long as we were near them in 
the fields. They were a wall unto us by night 
and day. They protected us from the wild 
beasts and the Philistines while we were keep- 
ing the sheep. Now, therefore, consider what 
thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our 
master and against all this household, for he 

290 



A FOREST CHIEFTAIN 

is such a son of Belial that a man cannot speak 
to him. 

Storming over the fields and out of the 
forests, their swords at their sides and wrath 
in their hearts, David and his band of outlaws 
came marching on hot foot; but they halted, 
for around a corner of a hill came a gracious 
lady riding upon an ass and with her a long 
train of people carrying provisions. For Abi- 
gail made haste without consulting Nabal and 
took with her two hundred loaves and two 
great leathern bottles of wine, five sheep ready 
dressed, five measures of parched corn, a hun- 
dred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes 
of figs and laid them on asses. Not one word 
to Nabal, as I said, for he would have surely 
stopped this lavish proffer of goods and food. 

As soon as Abigail saw David she alighted 
from her ass and bowed herself to the ground 
before David. She entreated him with the most 
gentle and winning words she could speak. 
She said, If only I had seen the young men 
who were so rudely treated by Nabal there 
would have been no such answer sent. And 
now this blessing which thine handmaiden 

291 



THE STORY BIBLE 

hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given 
unto the young men that follow my lord. I 
pray thee forgive the trespass of thine hand- 
maid, for the Lord will certainly make my 
lord a sure house, because thou lightest the 
battles of the Lord and evil hath not been 
found in thee all thy days. 

David listened to Abigail and all his anger 
melted away. He accepted her presents and 
said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who 
sent thee this day to meet me, and blessed be 
thy advice, and blessed be thou who hast 
kept me this day from coming to shed blood, 
and from avenging myself with mine own 
hand. 

You may get an idea of the churlishness and 
folly of Nabal when I tell you that, as soon as 
he heard of this interview with David, his heart 
failed within him and he became very ill. In 
a short time he died out of pure chagrin. He 
could not bear to part with his possessions. 

A little while after this, Saul again took the 
field against David and again David had a 
good opportunity to kill him. Indeed, David's 
nephew Abishai urged David to make an end 

292 



A FOREST CHIEFTAIN 

of the long warfare when, once more, they 
found Saul asleep on the ground with his spear 
stuck into the earth at his head, and all his 
people sleeping about him. But David re- 
fused. Again he said, The Lord forbid that I 
should stretch forth mine hand against the 
Lord's anointed. 

But he took a spear and a jar of water from 
beside Saul's pillow, and carried them away, 
and no man knew it, for a deep sleep had fallen 
on them all. 

Then David went over to the other side and 
stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great space 
being between them. 

And David cried to the people and to Abner, 
the son of Ner, saying, in effect, Why do you 
valiant people take so little care of your mas- 
ter? You ought to be put to death yourselves 
for your neglect. 

I could easily have killed him, but I have 
spared his life again. 

For a moment Saul was sorry, and owned 
that he had played the fool. But he soon for- 
got it and hated David as much as ever. 

The outlaw life of David did not end until 
293 



THE STORY BIBLE 

after the death of Saul, who fell by his own 
hand after a hard fought battle with the Phil- 
istines. Three of his sons, one of them the 
princely Jonathan, also fell down slain in 
Mount Gilboa. When the battle went against 
them and Saul was sorely wounded he drew 
his sword and fell upon it. 

Word was brought to David, and David, so 
far from rejoicing when he received the crown 
and the bracelets of his enemy, took hold of 
his own clothing, rent it, mourned and wept. 
He made a beautiful lamentation for Saul and 
Jonathan. Not only was David a musician 
and a warrior, but he was a great poet, and 
wrote many of the Psalms which to this day 
we sing in our churches. In his poem about 
Saul and Jonathan he said, The beauty of 
Israel is slain upon thy high places. How 
are the mighty fallen? Tell it not in Gath, 
publish it not in the streets of Ascalon, 
lest the daughters of the Philistines re- 
joice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised 
triumph. 

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant 
in their lives and in their death they were not 

294 



A FOREST CHIEFTAIN 

divided. They were swifter than eagles, they 
were stronger than lions. 

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jona- 
than. Very pleasant hast thou been unto me. 
Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the 
love of women. 

With the death of Saul, David's outlaw life 
was ended. He became the unquestioned king 
of Israel. He was thirty years old when he be- 
gan to reign and his reign continued forty 
years. Seven years his capital was in Hebron, 
thirty-three years Jerusalem was his chief city. 
During all his reign, which grew more and 
more splendid to the very end, he was always 
righting his enemies, and he had some trials in 
his own family. His favorite son, Absalom, 
led a rebellion against him. This was the 
darkest hour of David's life. Absalom was 
tall and beautiful and had splendid hair. Rid- 
ing through the woods after his defeat in 
battle Absalom was caught by his hair in 
the thick boughs of an oak and so hung be- 
tween heaven and earth. Joab, the captain 
of David's hosts, killed him there. Men run- 
ning swiftly brought the tidings to the king. 

295 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The king was much moved and went up to the 
chamber over the gate weeping bitterly. As 
he went, he said, O my son Absalom, my son, 
my son Absalom. Would God I had died for 
thee, O Absalom, my son, my son. 

David did not die until he was a very old 
man. He saw his kingdom at peace. He had 
gathered gold and silver for the temple of God 
which his son was to build and, after his long 
life, he fell asleep and was buried with his 
fathers. Solomon his son reigned in his stead. 



296 



XXXVIII 
THE WISE CHOICE 

KING DAVID had many sons. The one 
chosen to be his successor was not the 
eldest, nor the most ambitious. Solomon was 
one of David's younger sons. God made 
known to David that He had chosen Solomon 
to sit upon the throne and carry on the king- 
dom. This was a great responsibility to be 
laid on one who was little more than a boy, 
and who had up to this time been busy with 
his studies and his own amusements. One 
night, when Solomon was asleep, he had a 
dream in which the Lord appeared to him say- 
ing, Ask what I shall give thee. 

There were a great many things for which 
Solomon might have asked, such as great 
riches or fame or the life of his enemies or a 
long life for himself, but instead he asked that 
God would give him wisdom and knowledge 
so that he might be a good king, rule his peo- 
ple well and carry out the wishes of David his 

297 



THE STORY BIBLE 

father. God was very much pleased with this 
request and He gave Solomon so much of His 
own wisdom that no man on the earth could 
compare with him. Indeed ever since he has 
been called the wisest of men. 

In the Book of Proverbs which Solomon 
wrote we find a great many wise sayings 
which condense in a few words the substance 
of whole sermons. 

Here are some of them: 

Evil communications corrupt good man- 
ners. 

A soft answer turneth away wrath, but 
grievous words stir up anger. 

A merry heart maketh a cheerful counte- 
nance. 

Better is little with the fear of the Lord, 
than great treasure and trouble therewith. 

Better is he that ruleth his spirit, than he 
that taketh a city. 

The rich and the poor meet together. The 
Lord is the maker of them all. 

In the last chapter of the Book of Proverbs 
there is a description of a good and loving 
woman which is so beautiful that in all ages 

298 



THE WISE CHOICE 

it has suited every true woman, and is a sort 
of portrait of the mother wherever she is 
found. 

Solomon wrote also the Book of Ecclesi- 
astes and the Song of Solomon. When he 
had been on the throne only a few days, two 
women came into his presence each declaring 
that the baby that one of them carried was 
hers. There was therefore a hard problem for 
Solomon to solve. One was a real mother and 
the other a false one, and each clamored that 
the baby was her own. The child of one had 
died in the night. The king ordered a man to 
bring a sword and said, Cut this child in two, 
give half to one and half to the other woman. 
The real mother threw out her hands in pity 
and cried: O no! no! no! Do not kill the 
baby! Let this woman have him. But the 
false mother smiled and said, That will do very 
well. Cut the baby in two. 

Solomon gave the child unhurt into the arms 
of the mother who loved it. It was easy for 
him to decide when he saw the love in one face 
and the cruelty in the other. 

For many years David had longed to build 
299 



THE STORY BIBLE 

a temple to the Most High God. He had 
never been able to do it because he had so 
many wars to trouble him, and his enemies 
were always swarming over the border. Be- 
sides, the Lord did not wish David to under- 
take this work. It was to be left for Solomon, 
whose kingdom was at peace. 

Solomon sent to Hiram, King of Tyre, and 
made an alliance with him, so that cedar trees 
and fir trees were to be hewn on Mount 
Lebanon and sent from there on rafts by sea 
to the coast of Judea. Thence they were trans- 
ported to Jerusalem. Thousands and thou- 
sands of men were employed in building the 
magnificent temple, which when finished was 
one of the wonders of the world. From a dis- 
tance as it crowned the mountain top, it glit- 
tered as if made of gold and snow. The 
treasure that David had saved was lavished 
upon it, and it was the fit expression of the 
love of God's people for God. 

Solomon built splendid palaces for himself. 
All this building of the temple and of the pal- 
aces occupied many years. In the palace 
where Solomon lived there was the utmost 

300 



THE WISE CHOICE 

luxury. The king's plates and drinking cups 
were of solid gold. In a house built of the 
cedars of Lebanon, the king allowed nothing 
to be of silver, and indeed silver was not much 
thought of in his days. He had a navy at sea 
and an army on land. 

A great queen came from a long distance to 
pay him a visit. In her own land of Sheba she 
had heard of the glory of the king who reigned 
in Jerusalem, and she thought the reports 
could not be true. One day as the king sat by 
a palace window, he saw coming up the moun- 
tain side a long train of camels, and amid them 
one on which was a litter richly curtained. In 
this the lady rode, and the other camels bore 
beautiful presents which she had brought for 
the monarch whom she came to see ; spices and 
gold and precious stones. She asked Solomon 
a great many questions and found that he 
could answer them all. When she saw how 
wise he was, how beautiful was his home, and 
how great the number of his attendants, and 
the ivory stairway by which he went up into 
the house of the Lord, she had no words to tell 
what she thought. She gave the king the gold 

301 



THE STORY BIBLE 

of Sheba and the fragrant spices and the shin- 
ing precious stones, saying, The half of thy 
greatness and thy wisdom was not told me. 
Happy are thy men and happy are they who 
stand continually before thee. 

King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba in 
return for her gifts all that she desired and 
whatever she asked. So she turned and went 
away to her own land, she and her servants. 

Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem, 
sitting on a great throne of ivory covered with 
plates of pure gold. There were six steps lead- 
ing to the throne and twelve lions made of 
gleaming gold stood on guard, six on one side 
and six on the other, on these steps. The youth 
who chose wisdom had not only received that, 
but every other gift that God could give him: 
wealth and honor and great renown and long 
life. He reigned over Israel as one who was 
the representative of JEHOVAH, and all the 
kings of the earth sought his presence and 
most of them paid him tribute. At last in a 
good old age he passed away. The Bible says 
that Solomon slept with his fathers and was 
buried in the city of David his father. 

302 



THE WISE CHOICE 

He was succeeded by Rehoboam, his son, 
who was a weak character and only a counter- 
feit king. Rehoboam oppressed the people 
and departed from the Lord. In his days the 
people forgot the pure worship of God and be- 
gan to worship idols. The result was that 
they had rebellion within the kingdom and 
that enemies came against the Israelites from 
without. The Egyptians carried off the 
golden shields from the temple and robbed the 
king's house of its beautiful cups and plates, 
and Rehoboam, instead of fighting for them 
and getting them back, made shields of brass 
and put them in the temple to take the place 
of the golden shields. No wonder that in his 
day the kingdom was divided. It was rent in 
two parts, and from that time peace and pros- 
perity were never restored as they had been in 
the days of Solomon. 



303 



XXXIX 
THE STORY OF ELIJAH 

STRAIGHT into the palace of King Ahab, 
over the marble pavements and into 
the presence chamber, strode Elijah the Tish- 
bite, a man who had dwelt in the desert 
and communed with God. He came with a 
message. As the Lord God of Israel liveth, 
before whom I stand, there shall not be dew 
nor rain in three years, but according to my 
word. As suddenly as he had come, he disap- 
peared, just as if the earth had opened and 
swallowed him up. But a great famine fell 
upon the land. Not a drop of rain fell for the 
space of three years. The grass was all burnt 
up, the brooks dried, the beds of the foaming 
torrents were parched and dusty and food 
failed for both man and beast. 

Elijah hid himself for awhile by the brook 
Cherith until the last drop of it dried away, 
and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in 

304 



THE STORY OF ELIJAH 

the morning and bread and flesh in the even- 
ing. After the brook was dry he went to a lit- 
tle city called Zarepheth. When he came to 
the gate of the city a poor woman was there 
gathering sticks. He called to her and said, 
Fetch me I pray thee a little water in a vessel 
that I may drink. And bring me, too, I pray 
thee, a morsel of bread. 

The woman, who was a widow, said, As the 
Lord thy God liveth, I have not a crumb. I 
have only a handful of meal in a barrel and a 
little oil in a cruse and I am gathering these 
bits of sticks that I may make a little cake for 
my son and me ; after that is gone we must die. 

The strange man said a very strange thing. 
Go and make the little cake, he said, but bring 
it first to me. And afterward make something 
for thee and thy son. For thus saith the Lord 
God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not 
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until 
the day that the Lord sendeth rain on the 
earth. 

The woman had great faith. She did as the 
prophet said and, all the time the famine 
lasted, there was enough meal in the barrel 

SOS 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and enough oil in the cruse to feed her and her 
boy. 

A still greater reward came to her, for her 
child fell sick and died. She was in great dis- 
tress as she wept beside her dead boy. But 
the prophet said, Give me thy son. He took 
the dead child in his arms, carried him up to 
a loft where he abode and laid him on his own 
bed. Then he prayed very earnestly to God 
and stretched himself upon the child, crying, 
Oh Lord, my God, I pray Thee let this child's 
soul come back into him again. The Lord 
heard Elijah's prayer and restored the life of 
the child. 

There was gladness in the home of the 
mother that day. 

In the meantime the famine was growing 
so great in the land that things were at a 
desperate pass. Ahab said to the governor of 
his house, Obadiah, a man who feared and 
worshipped God although he served an idola- 
trous king, We must go through the land and 
see if we can find anywhere grass to save the 
horses and mules. 

Though Jezebel, Ahab's wife, had tried to 
306 



THE STORY OF ELIJAH 

kill all the servants of God she could find, 
Obadiah had taken a hundred of the Lord's 
prophets, hidden them from her and fed them. 
Ahab went in one direction to look for the 
oasis he hoped for and Obadiah went in an- 
other. As Obadiah was in the way, whom 
should he meet but Elijah. He said, Art thou 
my lord Elijah? 

Yes, he answered, Go tell Ahab, behold, 
Elijah is here. 

Obadiah was not quite ready to do this. 
He said Elijah was the one person Ahab had 
sworn to kill on sight and he was afraid that 
he would kill him should he so much as carry 
a message. However, he was persuaded to do 
it. And Ahab went out at once to meet the 
prophet. Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 
cried the king. 

Boldly Elijah answered, for no prophet 
feared the face of living man, whether he were 
a king or not, I have not troubled Israel but 
thou and thy father's house, in that ye have 
forsaken the commandments of the Lord and 
have followed Baal. 

Now therefore send and gather to me all 
307 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Israel unto Mount Carmel. The prophets of 
Baal, four hundred and fifty, and the prophets 
of the groves, four hundred, which eat bread 
at Jezebel's table. 

Ahab sent through all the coasts of Israel, 
and gathered the prophets together unto 
Mount Carmel. There they stood on the gray 
mountain side, eight hundred and fifty false 
prophets, priests of the idol worship on one 
side and Elijah alone on the other. 

With a loud voice Elijah cried to the people, 
How long halt ye between two opinions? If 
the Lord be God follow him; if Baal, then fol- 
low him. Elijah took a bullock and the 
prophets of Baal took a bullock. Elijah built 
an altar and the prophets of Baal built an altar. 
Elijah said, We shall put no fire under either 
altar. The God who answers by fire, He shall 
be our God. 

So, hour by hour, the prophets of Baal 
prayed and leaped and even cut themselves 
with knives, crying, O Baal, hear us. But 
there was no voice, nor any that answered. 
So they went on through the morning, 
through the noon, through the afternoon until 

308 



THE STORY OF ELIJAH 

the time of the evening sacrifice. Elijah said, 
Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is talk- 
ing, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey 
or, peradventure, he is asleep. But Baal did 
not hear. 

At last Elijah called upon JEHOVAH, but 
first he drenched with all the water he could 
find the bullock that lay there dressed for the 
burnt sacrifice, the altar and the wood. Then 
he called upon the Lord God of Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob. Swiftly from the sky came 
the lightning and consumed the sacrifice and 
the wood and even the water that was in the 
trench about it. The people fell on their faces 
and worshipped God; and then they turned 
upon the prophets of Baal and put every one 
of them to death. 

And Elijah said to Ahab, Get thee up, eat 
and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of 
rain. So Ahab went up to eat and drink, and 
Elijah went to the top of Carmel and there he 
cast himself down upon the earth and put his 
face between his knees. And he said to his 
servant, Go up now, look toward the sea; and 
he went up and looked and said, I see nothing. 

309 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And he said, Go again seven times. And 
it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, 
Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the 
sea like a man's hand. And Elijah said, Go 
up and say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot 
and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. 

And it came to pass, in the meanwhile, that 
the heaven was black with clouds and wind 
and there was a great rain. 

And Ahab arose and went to Jezreel. Elijah 
girded his loins and ran before the king and 
reached the entrance of Jezreel first. 

Jezebel was wild with rage when she heard 
what had happened to the prophets of Baal. 
She at once sent messengers to Elijah. They 
brought a warning that Elijah heeded, for he 
knew the temper and the will of the wicked 
queen. She was in fact a much more wicked 
character than her weak husband, and I have 
always thought that Ahab would have been 
much more decent had he not been married to 
so bad a wife as this princess of Tyre. Jezebel 
in the Bible is like Lady Macbeth in Shake- 
speare, a very beautiful, very cruel and very 
terrible woman. 

310 



THE STORY OF ELIJAH 

Well, this was what her messengers told 
Elijah. The queen bids us say, So let the gods 
do to me and more, also, if I make not thy 
life as the life of one of the dead priests of Baal 
by this time to-morrow. 

Elijah waited for no further word. He 
arose and went for his life to Beersheba, a long 
way off from Jezebel's palace. There he left 
his servant and proceeded by himself a day's 
journey into a dark, lonesome wilderness 
of tangled thickets and labyrinthine paths. 
Here he sat down exhausted under a juniper 
tree and prayed that he might die. 

You see he was tired out. When a strong 
man is tired out to the last drop of his blood 
and the last thought of his heart, he is apt to 
be discouraged. 

Just see how kind our God can be! Dear 
children, God is just as kind to you and me, 
many a time and oft, as he then was to poor, 
wearied Elijah. 

Falling asleep under the juniper tree after 
a time Elijah wakened, for he felt a touch on 
his shoulder. 

He stirred and looked up. There stood an 
3ii 



THE STORY BIBLE 

angel with a friendly face; and close by was a 
fire of coals and on the fire a cake, baked nice 
and brown. The very smell of it refreshed 
Elijah. A cruse of pure water was there, too, 
and the angel said, Arise and eat because the 
journey is too great for thee. 

He ate and was refreshed, and then he took 
up his journey in that new strength and 
traveled forty days and nights till he reached 
Horeb, the mount of God. There he found a 
cave and in it, in a little dark rocky room, he 
hid himself away. Hid himself till a voice of 
the Lord came to him, 

What doest thou here, Elijah? 

And he said, I have been very jealous for the 
Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel 
have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down 
thine altars and slain thy prophets with the 
sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they 
seek my life, to take it away. 

And he said, Go forth and stand upon the 
mount before the Lord. And, behold, the 
Lord passed by; and a great and strong wind 
rent the mountains and brake in pieces the 
rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not 

312 



THE STORY OF ELIJAH 

in the wind; and after the wind came an earth- 
quake : 

After the earthquake came a fire, but the 
Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a 
still small voice. 

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, he 
wrapped his face in his mantle and went out 
and stood in the entrance of the cave. And 
behold, there came a voice unto him and said, 
What doest thou here, Elijah? 

And he said, I have been very jealous for the 
Lord God of hosts because the children of 
Israel have forsaken thy covenants, thrown 
down thine altars and slain thy prophets with 
the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they 
seek my life, to take it away. The Lord con- 
vinced Elijah that he was quite mistaken and 
told him to go and find Elisha, a young man 
who was to become his successor. When all 
Elijah's work was done the Lord took him up 
to heaven in a chariot of fire. He stood with 
Elisha on the bank of the River Jordan. One 
minute they were talking together, the next 
there was a mighty whirlwind and, riding on 
the whirlwind, came the angels driving a 

3*3 



THE STORY BIBLE 

chariot bright as the sun; they caught Elijah 
up and he was seen no more on earth for 
thousands of years. Once again men saw him 
on a mountain top in Judea. You will hear of 
that by and by. As he went into heaven his 
mantle fell upon Elisha. Not merely his cloak 
that had been worn in the desert, but his great- 
ness fell upon Elisha, too. 



3*4 



XL 
ELISHA THE PROPHET 

AFTER Elijah had been taken to heaven 
in a chariot of fire Elisha stood gaz- 
ing into the sky for a long time. At last as 
he stood by the waters of the River Jordan 
he smote them with Elijah's mantle. They 
parted on either side and Elisha went over 
the river bed on dry ground. The spirit of Eli- 
jah had come upon the new prophet. He met 
kings just as fearlessly as Elijah had; and he 
told them the truth when they came to enquire 
of him. It happened that he often passed 
through the province of Samaria. Here there 
lived a family who were very kind and hos- 
pitable. As often as he passed their house they 
asked him to come in and have something to 
eat. One day the wife said to her husband, 
This man who comes so often is a holy man 
of God, and he always brings us a blessing. 
Let us try to make it so comfortable for him 
that when he comes to our country he will feel 

315 



THE STORY BIBLE 

that this is his home. Let us make a little 
chamber, I pray thee, and let us set for him 
there a bed and a table and a stool and a can- 
dlestick; and it shall be whenever he comes 
that he shall rest there. The furniture of this 
prophet's chamber, you notice, comprehended 
everything that one really needs in a guest 
room. Elisha often used this room and he felt 
very grateful to his hostess. She was a 
woman of Shunem, a part of Samaria. One 
day Elisha said to his servant, Gehazi, Ask this 
kind woman if I may see her. 

When she came he said, Behold, thou hast 
been careful for us with all this care. What is 
to be done for thee? Is there any favor I can 
get thee from the king, or shall I speak for thee 
to the captain of the host? 

She answered, I dwell among mine own 
people. This was a very beautiful answer. It 
was as if she had said, There is nothing I want. 
I am safe at home among the people who love 
me and whom I have loved all my life. 

But, though this woman was at home and 
had a beautiful house and broad lands and all 
the money and rich clothing that a great lady 

316 



ELISHA THE PROPHET 

needed, there was one thing lacking in her 
life; she had no child. When she saw other 
women with their children she felt sorrowful 
that she was not a mother. She often thought 
how sweet it would be to have a little child 
running about the house and calling her in his 
broken baby talk. 

Elisha divined her unspoken wish and 
prayed to God that she might have a child; 
and one happy day the child came to her. 
After that, the home of the great lady was per- 
fect. Nothing was wanting in it or to her. 
But after awhile when the child was old 
enough to go to the fields with his father, one 
day, under the hot sun, there came on him a 
terrible sickness. He said to his father, My 
head, my head ! and, I suppose, then fell down 
and knew no more. The father said to a lad 
standing by, Carry him to his mother. All day 
the mother held him till he died. Then she 
went up to the prophet's chamber, laid her boy 
on the bed of the man of God, shut the door 
and went out. She did not tell her husband 
that the child was dead but instead told him 
that she was going to ride as fast as she could 

317 



THE STORY BIBLE 

to find the prophet and see him and talk to 
him. 

I must run to the man of God, she said, and 
I will soon come back again. Her husband 
thought this very strange, as it was neither a 
feast day nor the Sabbath, but he helped her 
to go; and, riding on as fast as she could, she 
came to Mount Carmel. 

Gehazi, the servant, ran before Elisha to 
meet her when he saw her coming and he said, 
Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy hus- 
band? Is it well with the child? 

And she answered, It is well. 

Then she threw herself down at the feet of 
Elisha and told him with bitter weeping that 
the child was dead. 

Elisha said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins and 
take my staff in thy hand and go thy way. 
If thou meet any man salute him not, and if 
any salute thee answer him not again; and lay 
my staff upon the face of the child. 

And the mother of the child said, As the 
Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not 
leave thee. So Elisha arose and followed her. 

Gehazi, swiftly running, passed on before 

3i8 



ELISHA THE PROPHET 

them and laid the staff upon the face of the 
child. But there was neither voice nor motion, 
so he went back to his master, Elisha, say- 
ing, The child is not awakened. 

And when Elisha was come into the house, 
behold, the child was dead and laid upon the 
bed. He went in, shut the door and prayed to 
the Lord. Then he stretched himself upon the 
child, touching his mouth and eyes and hands, 
and the child presently opened his eyes and 
was alive again. The prophet said, Call this 
child's mother. When she came in he said, 
Take up thy son. God has given him back. 

There is another beautiful story about 
Elisha that I must tell you. The King of 
Syria was at war with the King of Israel. 
Everything the King of Syria did, or planned 
to do, the King of Israel found out, and he be- 
came so vexed that he accused some of his 
people of being false. He said, I am sure there 
is a spy in my court. No, said one of his serv- 
ants. We are all true men. But Elisha the 
prophet who is in Israel, tells the king the 
words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 
Instantly the King of Syria sent a great host 

319 



THE STORY BIBLE 

of people to Dothan where Elisha was and 
they came at night and surrounded the city 
with horses and chariots and a great host. 
Very early in the morning the servant of the 
man of God went out and looked; and every- 
where around them were armed men with 
horses and chariots. He was frightened and 
rushed back to Elisha saying, Alas, my master. 
What shall we do? 

But the prophet was not dismayed. Fear 
not, he said, for they that be with us are more 
than they that be with them. And Elisha 
prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his 
eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened 
the eyes of the young man and he saw. And, 
behold, the mountain was full of horses and 
chariots of fire about Elisha. God had sent a 
host of shining angels straight from the sky 
to protect his servant. 

The angel of the Lord encampeth around 
those that trust him and delivereth them in 
trouble. 

Almost immediately the Syrians began to be 
blind, under the great light of that angel host. 
They did not see the angels but they felt the 

320 



ELISHA THE PROPHET 

brightness and groped as if in the dark. In 
their blindness, they walked directly into the 
city of Samaria, right into the power of the 
King of Israel. The king wanted to put them 
to death, but Elisha said, No, do not hurt 
them. Give them bread and water and send 
them back to their master. After that there 
was peace for awhile between Syria and Israel. 
And now I must tell you the beautiful story 
of a little Hebrew maid. 



321 



XLI 
THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID 

IN the army of the Syrians there was a great 
general who was a favorite with the king. 
He was called Naaman and was captain of the 
host or, as we would say, commander-in-chief. 
He was great and rich and was held in much 
honor, but he was a leper. No disease was so 
dreaded as leprosy because it was very pain- 
ful and disfiguring and there was no cure for 
it. It was more dreaded by people in the old 
days than the smallpox is by us to-day. A 
leper might have everything earth could give, 
but his lot was very sad and he was shut out 
from nearly all the pleasures of life. In one 
of their forays the Syrians had brought away 
from her native land a little Hebrew girl. She 
was given as a prize to Naaman and she 
waited on Naaman's wife. The little maid no 
doubt was often homesick and wished herself 
back in her own land with her mother and 

322 



THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID 

father, her brothers and sisters and her little 
playmates. It was hard to be a slave among 
strangers and to feel that she might never 
again see her own home. But her mistress who 
was a great lady was kind to her and, as the lit- 
tle maid very often saw the tears in the lady's 
eyes and knew that she was grieving, she be- 
gan to wish that her master might be healed. 
One day she said to her mistress, Would to 
God my lord were with the prophet that is in 
Samaria, for he would recover him of his lep- 
rosy. 

Somebody went and told Naaman what the 
little maid from the land of Israel had said. It 
was repeated in the ears of the king of Syria, 
who said, Go to, I will send a letter to the king 
of Israel. 

With the letter in his hand Naaman de- 
parted, taking with him ten talents of silver, 
six thousand pieces of gold and ten changes of 
raiment. He presented himself at the palace 
gate of the king of Israel and sent the let- 
ter in. 

Now, said the king of Syria, when this let- 
ter is come unto thee, behold, I have sent with 

323 



THE STORY BIBLE 

it Naaman, my servant, that thou mayest re- 
cover him of his leprosy. 

The king of Israel was very much disturbed. 
He thought this was a pretext to bring on an- 
other war. He knew that, though he was a 
king, he could not cure anybody on earth of 
leprosy. He exclaimed, Am I God to kill and 
to make alive? 

He walked to and fro in rage and sorrow 
and he rent his clothes. When a man did this, 
tearing his loose outside mantle in two from 
top to bottom, he meant to show in the sight 
of men that the case was perfectly hopeless. 

One person telling another, the story came 
to the ears of Elisha, the man of God. He at 
once sent word to the king, Wherefore hast 
thou rent thy clothes? Send the man to me 
and he shall know that there is a prophet in 
Israel. 

So Naaman came with his horses and his 
chariot and all his servants and stood at the 
door of the house of Elisha. Elisha never 
came out, nor seemed to see the horses and 
the chariot and the outriders and the great 
retinue. He sent a messenger out bidding him 

324 



THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID 

say to Naaman, Go and wash in Jordan seven 
times and thy flesh shall come again to thee 
and thou shalt be clean. 

If there was anything that was mortifying 
to the pride of a Syrian it was to be told to go 
and bathe in the waters of Jordan. The 
Syrians thought their own country and their 
own rivers and everything they had incom- 
parably finer than anything the Israelites 
had. Besides, Naaman felt that he had not 
been treated with proper respect. He turned 
away fuming with anger. He said, Behold, I 
thought this prophet will come out to me and 
stand and call on the name of the Lord, and 
strike his hand over the place and take away 
my trouble. He felt very much as you or I 
might if we had taken a journey, gone a long 
distance, and stopped at the door of a great 
doctor who refused so much as to look at us. 
Naaman went raging on. Are not Pharpar 
and Abana, rivers of Damascus, better than 
all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in 
them and be clean? He bade his charioteer 
turn and drive homeward. But his servants 
had more sense than Naaman. They talked 

325 



THE STORY BIBLE 

together, and then one of them ventured to say 
very respectfully, My father, if the prophet 
had bidden thee do some great and hard thing, 
wouldst thou not have done it? How much 
rather then do this little thing that he hath 
said to thee, Wash and be clean. Naaman was 
persuaded after a little, at least to try the 
prophet's remedy. His chariot carried him 
along the roads and over the mountain passes 
and through the fields till he reached the bank 
of Jordan. He stepped into the river and 
dipped himself in it seven times, as the man of 
God had told him to, and all the dead flesh 
dropped away and his flesh became firm and 
soft and rosy like the flesh of a little child. 
He went into the Jordan a man slowly dying 
of a dreadful disease, and he stepped out 
of it strong and well, without a vestige of the 
trouble left. God had wrought a miracle in 
him. 

Hurriedly he returned to the house of the 
man of God, he and all his company. This 
time he boldly knocked at the door and refused 
to go away until the prophet came out. Bow- 
ing low before the prophet he said, Behold, I 

326 



THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID 

know now that the God of Israel is the only 
God on earth. Now, therefore, I pray thee, 
take a blessing and a gift from me thy servant. 
Naaman urged this plea. 

But Elisha said, As the Lord liveth before 
whom I stand, I will take nothing from thee. 
God's prophet did not wish to be paid for what 
he had done. Although Naaman urged him, 
Elisha stood firm. Then Naaman said, 
Though thou wilt take nothing from me, I 
pray thee give me as much earth of the land of 
Israel as two mules can carry, for from this 
time I will offer neither burnt offering nor 
sacrifice to any other god than the Lord 
Jehovah. There is only one thing that I hope 
the Lord will pardon me for, that, when my 
master the king goes to the temple of Rimmon 
to worship and there leans on my hand, and 
I have to bow myself in the house of Rimmon, 
when I bow down myself there I hope the 
Lord will pardon me. Naaman meant to say 
that he would not himself worship an idol any 
more, and yet he feared that, as captain of the 
host, he might sometimes have to go into the 
house of the idol the Syrians worshipped. 

V7 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Elisha understood his difficulty and said to 
him, Go in peace. 

Before he had gone very far the servant of 
Elisha, Gehazi, did a very mean and low thing. 
He had seen with covetous eyes the gold and 
the silver and the changes of raiment and, 
though Elisha would have none of them, the 
heart of the servant was moved with longing. 
He wanted the silver and the rich clothing. 
So he ran after Naaman, and the noble general, 
seeing him, stopped his chariot, stepped to the 
ground and said, Is all well? 

Yes, said Gehazi, all is well, but my master 
has changed his mind. He has had guests 
come suddenly and he would be glad to have 
a talent of silver and two changes of raiment 
for them. They have come from Mount 
Ephraim and are young men of the sons of 
the prophets. The whole of this was a lie and 
it was an outrage upon Elisha. 

Naaman gladly gave the changes of raiment 
and bound two talents of silver in two bags 
and sent two of his own servants to carry them 
to Elisha's house. 

Gehazi took good care that Elisha should 
328 



THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID 

know nothing of this. He hid the spoil in his 
own house and, at the proper time, went in and 
stood meekly before his master. 

From whence do you come? said Elisha. 
One lie always needs another and Gehazi 
boldly answered, I have been nowhere. 

Elisha looked at him with piercing eyes. 
Went not my heart with thee, he said, when 
the man turned again from his chariot to meet 
thee? Is this a time to receive money and 
garments and olive yards and vineyards and 
sheep and oxen and men servants and maid 
servants? 

He meant by this that Gehazi, who had been 
poor, might now, through his double dealing, 
possess himself of things which belonged to 
wealth. But with the wealth there was to 
come a curse to the faithless Gehazi. 

The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to thee, 
and to thy house forever, said Elisha sternly, 
and Gehazi went out from the prophet's pres- 
ence a leper as white as snow. 



329 



XLII 
THE KING'S CUP BEARER 

HUNDREDS of years passed by and the 
children of Israel, who had sinned and 
forgotten God, were carried away prisoners 
into a strange land. By the rivers of Babylon 
they sat and wept. In Shushan, the palace of 
Persia, their hearts were sore. In this palace, 
as cup bearer to the king, there was a man 
of noble aspect, one of the grandest men who 
ever lived. His name was Nehemiah. He 
heard from some Jews who had escaped and 
knew what was going on in Jerusalem that the 
wall of the old city was broken down, that its 
gates had been burned and that the worship 
of God was no longer practiced there. Nehe- 
miah prayed earnestly to God. Then, when 
the time came for him to present the chalice 
of wine to the king at his table, he appeared 
before the monarch trying to look as usual. 
But he could not conceal his grief. It was 
considered an insult for one to enter the king's 
presence with a sad and gloomy brow and 

330 



THE KING'S CUP BEARER 

Nehemiah was dismayed when the king said, 
Why is thy countenance sad? This is noth- 
ing else but sorrow of heart. 

There was only one answer to make. Nehe- 
miah said, Let the king live forever. Why 
should not my countenance be sad when the 
city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth 
waste and the gates thereof are burned with 
fire? 

The king listened with great patience and 
said, For what dost thou make request? 
Then, indeed, Nehemiah lifted up his heart in 
prayer to the God of heaven. You know one 
may send a prayer to God, wherever one is, 
without leaving the room or going away by 
one's self. A prayer may be made in thought 
and will flash to God more swiftly than the 
lightning from the sky; and God will hear it. 

The prayer Nehemiah made was heard. He 
said to the king, If it please thee, and if thy 
servant hath found favor in thy sight, I re- 
quest that thou wouldst send me to Judah, to 
the city of my fathers' sepulchres that I may 
build it again. 

The queen was sitting by the king and I feel 
33i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

sure that she put in a soft womanly word for 
Nehemiah. The king said benignantly, How 
long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou 
return? 

You see that Nehemiah's good character 
had made the king trust him. Very soon, with 
letters to the keeper of the king's forest in 
Judea, giving him orders to help Nehemiah all 
he could, to give him timber for the gates and 
whatever he needed for his enterprise, Nehe- 
miah started on his long journey. He had cap- 
tains and soldiers with him, both horse and 
foot. One would have thought that the people 
in Jerusalem would have been very glad to 
have Nehemiah come on this good errand. 
Some of them were glad but, on the other 
hand, some were very angry. Two persons of 
low degree, Sanballat and Tobiah, both of 
them aliens, were very angry indeed. They 
did everything they could to trouble Nehe- 
miah and interfere with his work. After he 
had organized his men, and set companies of 
them repairing at different places, these two 
men, with some Arabians and Ammonites, did 
their best to break down the walls as fast as 

33? 



THE KING'S CUP BEARER 

they were built and, which was worse, they 
stood there mocking and making fun. They 
said, What do these feeble Jews? Will they 
fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will 
they make an end in a day? Will they restore 
the stones out of the heaps of rubbish which 
are burned? Tobiah said jeeringly, Even that 
which they build, if a fox go up he shall break 
down their stone wall. 

But Nehemiah did not mind these people. 
He kept on praying to God and building the 
wall and, as the people had a mind to work, 
the wall went steadily up. The builders had 
to work every one with a sword by his side be- 
cause they did not know at what moment they 
would be attacked. Nehemiah gave orders 
that, whenever they heard the sound of a 
trumpet anywhere, as the work was great and 
the companies were widely separated, they 
should rally at the sound of the trumpet. Our 
God will fight for us, he said. So they 
labored, and half of them held the spears from 
the rising of the morning until the stars ap- 
peared. They worked night and day and Ne- 
hemiah hardly stopped for sleep. Sanballat 

333 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and Tobiah tried their best to entice him away 
but, when they sent messengers to him asking 
for a conference, he sent back a noble answer. 
It is an answer which we may give if people 
ever try to persuade us to neglect the Lord's 
work: I am doing a great work so that I can- 
not come down. Why should the work cease 
while I leave it and come down to you? Four 
times Sanballat and Tobiah sent messages to 
Nehemiah and four times also he answered 
them thus. Then they sent letters to put him 
in fear, and did their best to make him think 
that assassins were lurking near to kill him. 
They tried to get him to go into the temple 
where they said he would be safe. But the 
noble Nehemiah was not daunted. He said, 
Should such a man as I flee? and who is there 
that, being as I am, would go into the temple 
to save his life? I will not go in. 

In the end the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt, 
the ancient gates were restored, the old wor- 
ship of JEHOVAH was established once more 
and Nehemiah went back to the king of Baby- 
lon. No wonder he said, Remember me, O my 
God, for good. 

334 



XLIII 
QUEEN ESTHER 

IN the days of King Ahasuerus, a monarch 
who reigned over a hundred and twenty- 
seven provinces from India to Ethiopia, some 
strange things came to pass. Ahasuerus was 
a Persian monarch. The kings of Persia were 
very strong but there was one particular in 
which they were very weak. By a law of their 
kingdom they could never change a word they 
had once said or a law they had once made. 
If they made a mistake it had to stand, and 
this often gave them great trouble because 
they were as liable to make mistakes as any 
other people. 

Ahasuerus was a very mighty king. In the 
third year of his reign he made a great feast 
and invited to it the noblemen and princes of 
the hundred and twenty-seven provinces and 
all the great courtiers and fine people of Persia 
and Media. He kept this feast up day after 

335 



THE STORY BIBLE 

day for many days, finally ending it with a 
great banquet to crown the whole, the tables 
being spread in the garden and in the 
court of the palace at Shushan. Everything 
here was very beautiful. There were rich 
hangings of white, green and blue, fastened 
by cords of fine linen and purple to sil- 
ver rings and pillars of marble. The divans 
and couches on which the guests reclined were 
of gold and silver, standing on a pavement of 
mosaic composed of red, blue, white and black 
marble. Everything was beautiful and sump- 
tuous. The guests drank the royal wine from 
goblets of pure gold, no two alike. While this 
feast was going on, Vashti, the queen, made a 
feast in the house of the women for her friends. 
It was not customary in that land for men and 
women to sit at dinner together. In Oriental 
lands now, in Persia or India or China, the 
women of a household stay by themselves and 
never see any man unless he is closely related 
to them. I explain this so that you will un- 
derstand something that happened at the end 
of this feast. 

The king, with all his men at arms, his 
336 



QUEEN ESTHER 

princes, his courtiers and his nobles, was feast- 
ing in the splendid palace garden. The feast 
had lasted a long time and the men had been 
drinking the royal wine out of the golden cups 
for many, many days. Not a woman was pres- 
ent. In her royal house, into which no man 
except the king ever entered, Queen Vashti 
was feasting with the women of the court. 
Presently the king, being confused with the 
wine he had been drinking, sent to the house 
of the women seven men from those who were 
serving in his presence. He commanded them 
to bring before him and the crowd who were 
feasting with him the beautiful queen Vashti. 
She was to come in her royal robes, with 
all her jewels blazing upon her, her golden 
girdle, her bracelets, her rings and the golden 
crown upon her head. The king wished to 
show her beauty to the men who were with 
him, for she was fair to look upon. A greater 
insult could not have been offered by man to 
woman, or by king to queen. The lowest slave 
in the wide land of Persia would have scorned 
thus to insult his wife. Ahasuerus would not 
have dared so to insult Vashti if he had been 

337 



THE STORY BIBLE 

himself but, in every age when a man allows 
drink to take possession of his reason, he does 
foolish and brutal things. Vashti very prop- 
erly refused to come and sent word to the king 
that she would not obey him. An Eastern 
king had absolute power, the power of life and 
death over every one of his people, from his 
wife downward. No doubt the king felt angry 
enough to kill the queen at once but, instead, 
his anger burning hotly in him, he called to- 
gether his wise men and the princes of his 
realm. They must all have been beside them- 
selves with wine, or they never would have 
advised the king as they did. The question 
was: What should be done to the queen be- 
cause she had disobeyed her husband? 

The oldest of the princes solemnly said, 
Vashti, the queen, hath not done wrong to the 
king only but also to all the princes and to all 
the people that are in all the provinces of 
King Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen 
shall come abroad unto all women so that 
their husbands shall be despised in their eyes, 
when it shall be reported, King Ahasuerus 
commanded Vashti, the queen, to be brought 

338 



QUEEN ESTHER 

in before him but she came not. So shall the 
ladies of Persia and Media say and do this day 
unto all the kings and princes who have heard 
of the deed of the queen. Thus there shall 
arise too much contempt and wrath. He went 
on to add, 

If it please the king, let there go a royal 
commandment from him and let it be written 
among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, 
that it be not altered, that Vashti come no 
more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king 
give her royal estate unto another who is bet- 
ter than she. 

And when the king's decree which he shall 
make shall be published throughout all his em- 
pire, for it is great, all the wives shall give 
their husbands honor, both to great and small. 

The king and the princes were delighted with 
this counsel of the owl-like courtier, and at 
once letters were sent into every corner of the 
wide dominion, and into every province: let- 
ters written in every language that was spoken 
in the great kingdom, to the effect that every 
man should bear rule in his own house and 
every woman obey him, no matter how little 

339 



THE STORY BIBLE 

sense there might be in what the man com- 
manded. 

The curtain falls upon poor Vashti. She 
was probably shut up in some corner of the 
palace and she saw the king no more till the 
day of her death. I have always felt very sorry 
for Vashti and have had much respect for her. 
She was a great lady who had courage beyond 
that of most women in her time. 

After awhile the king's wrath was appeased. 
He remembered Vashti and the decree that 
had been made against her, and perhaps he 
regretted it, but the decree had been made 
and could not be altered. Ahasuerus could 
no more step over that edict and par- 
don Vashti or beg her pardon than Vashti 
could emerge from her prison and once 
more sit by his side. Vashti was to the 
king exactly as if she were dead. He moped 
and sulked and was very disagreeable, and all 
the court people talked about it in corners and 
put their heads together to see what could be 
done. The only thing they could think of was 
to find another wife for Ahasuerus. It hap- 
pened that there was employed in the palace of 

340 



QUEEN ESTHER 

Shushan a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, a man 
who had been carried away captive by Nebu- 
chadnezzar, the king of Babylon, during some 
war of the Jews and the Babylonians. In his 
household there was a beautiful orphan girl, 
his niece. Her name was Esther. When the 
king's friends began looking about for some 
lovely maiden who might please the king and 
become his wife, it happened that Esther was 
chosen as the most beautiful of all. It was not 
generally known that she was a Jewess and her 
Uncle Mordecai cautioned her to say nothing 
whatever about her people or her race. The 
king loved her and set the royal crown upon 
her head and made her queen instead of 
Vashti. Thus it happened that a simple 
maiden of the Hebrews became the queen of 
Persia and arrived at great dignity and honor. 
She arrived at trouble, too. 

About this time there arose a fierce persecu- 
tion against the Hebrews who were scattered 
throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus. Just 
such persecutions have arisen against these 
poor people in Spain, in Italy, in Russia and 
elsewhere, in modern days. 

341 



THE STORY BIBLE 

A wicked man named Haman hissed scorn- 
ful words of hate against the Jews in the ear 
of the king. He was very angry because Mor- 
decai, the uncle of Esther, never bowed low 
before him, or gave him reverence, when he 
passed by. He did not know that Mordecai 
was of the kindred of Esther or that the 
queen was a Hebrew. If he had he would 
have been more careful. He said to Ahasue- 
rus, There are people scattered all about your 
kingdom whose laws are different from yours. 
It is not to the king's profit to let these people 
live. If you will give me the authority in 
writing to destroy them, I will soon make an 
end of every one of them. And I will gather 
their gold and silver and pay a great sum into 
the king's treasuries. 

The king told Haman that he should have 
all the money he wanted and all the soldiers 
he needed to carry out his wicked plan. Let- 
ters were written and sealed with the king's 
ring. These letters were sent by horsemen 
into all the king's provinces. They carried 
orders to destroy and kill, by a general mas- 
sacre, all Jews, both young and old, little chil- 

342 



QUEEN ESTHER 

dren and women, and to loot their houses and 
seize their possessions. When this dreadful 
thing had been planned, the king and Haman 
sat down to a feast, but a great pall of misery 
fell over the city of Shushan and over the pal- 
ace. In both were many Jews who had been 
born there, whose fathers and mothers had 
been there since the captivity and who were 
good subjects of the king. Mordecai himself 
rent his clothes, put on sackcloth, went out 
into the city and cried with a loud and bitter 
cry. He even stood before the king's gate 
clothed in sackcloth, but he did not enter, for 
no one thus clothed might come within the 
court of the palace. 

Riding furiously, the king's messengers 
carried these letters of fate to the farthest 
corner of the empire. Letters like these took 
the place of the newspapers of our day. The 
men who carried them would ride until their 
horses were tired; at some point fresh horses 
would be ready for them, and away they would 
dash carrying decrees from the king. 

Mordecai did not enter the king's gate but 
he stood just outside of it, covered with sack- 

343 



THE STORY BIBLE 

cloth, moaning and groaning and weeping and 
wailing. As for the Jews, everywhere in the 
kingdom they mourned and fasted. There 
was no joy in the house of any Jew. It was 
not long before some of the maidens around 
Esther told her that Mordecai was standing 
weeping at the palace gate. At this the queen 
was exceedingly grieved, and she sent fresh 
raiment to clothe Mordecai and to take away 
his sackcloth, but he would not receive it. She 
then sent a chamberlain who waited upon her 
to find out what had happened. Mordecai sent 
word to Esther, telling her that her people 
were in the utmost danger and charging her 
to go at once to the king and intercede for 
them. Esther sent back word to her kinsman, 
All the king's servants and the people of 
the king's provinces know that whosoever, 
whether man or woman, shall come unto the 
king into the inner court without being called, 
there is one law which is to put him to death, 
unless the king shall hold out the golden 
sceptre that he may live. And I have not been 
called into the king's presence in thirty days. 
All this was repeated to Mordecai. 

344 



QUEEN ESTHER 

Then Mordecai commanded the messenger 
to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that 
thou shalt escape in the king's house, more 
than all the Jews. For, if thou altogether 
holdest thy peace at this time, there shall come 
enlargement and deliverance to the Jews from 
another place; but thou and thy father's house 
shall be destroyed, and who knoweth whether 
thou art come to the kingdom for such a time 
as this? 

Then Esther sent word to Mordecai, Go, 
gather together all the Jews that are in Shu- 
shan and fast ye for me and neither eat nor 
drink three days, night or day. I also, and 
my maidens, will fast likewise, and so will I 
go in unto the king which is not according to 
the law. And if I perish, I perish. 

You see that Queen Esther knew herself to 
be in great danger. If she offended the king, 
he might not treat her with as much clemency 
as he had shown to Vashti. She felt quite sure 
that in a moment of caprice he might order her 
to be slain on the spot. Nevertheless she 
prayed and all her people prayed with her. On 
the third day, Esther put on her royal apparel 

345 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and went all by herself and stood in the inner 
court of the king's house. The king was sit- 
ting there upon his throne and, looking up, he 
saw the beautiful woman waiting just on the 
threshold, not daring to advance another step. 
He smiled and held out to her the golden scep- 
tre. She drew near and touched the top of 
the sceptre. 

Then said the king unto her, What wilt 
thou, Queen Esther? And what is thy re- 
quest? It shall be given thee to the half of the 
kingdom. 

Esther replied, saying that she would like to 
have the king and Haman, his prime minister, 
come to a banquet which she had prepared. 
Being a Jewish woman, Esther had never been 
secluded as the Persian women were, and it did 
not seem to her a remarkable thing to ask that 
the king should bring his prime minister with 
him to a feast. They came together and were 
daintily served, and the king said to Esther 
again, What is thy petition and it shall be 
granted thee, and what is thy request? Even 
to the half of the kingdom it shall be per- 
formed. 

346 



QUEEN ESTHER 

But the only request she now made was that 
they should come again to-morrow and feast 
at the banquet she should prepare. To-mor- 
row, she said, I will make my request to the 
king. 

Haman went home that day joyful and with 
a glad heart, but when he saw Mordecai in the 
king's gate, and Mordecai neither stood up 
nor bowed nor moved an inch out of the way, 
he was full of wrath and resentment. He told 
his wife and his friends that day of all the 
glory he had won, of his great riches and how 
he had become the favorite of the king. Even 
Esther, the queen, he said, invited me to-day 
to come to a feast with the king and herself, 
and to-morrow I am invited by her, for the 
second time. Surely no honor is so great as 
mine. I am proud and glad. 

Yet all this avails me nothing and is of no 
account in my sight so long as I see Mordecai 
the Jew sitting at the king's gate. 

I wouldn't bother any more about Mordecai, 
said Haman's wife. It will be the easiest 
thing in the world to get rid of him. Let a 
gallows be made fifty cubits high, and speak 

347 



THE STORY BIBLE 

a word to the king to-morrow morning and 
get an order that Mordecai shall be hanged, 
and then go in merrily with the king unto the 
banquet. 

The thing pleased Haman and he caused the 
gallows to be made. 

But that night the king could not sleep and 
he ordered some of the men around him to 
bring a book of records and read him bits of 
court history so that he might be entertained. 
It was presently found that Mordecai had 
discovered a plot against the king's life and 
had apprehended the men who were concerned 
in it. The king also discovered to his annoy- 
ance that nothing had ever been given in the 
way of a reward to Mordecai, notwithstand- 
ing this great service. The king said, Who 
is in the court outside? Who should be there, 
if you please, but Haman waiting a good 
chance to speak to the king and to hang Mor- 
decai on the gallows that he had prepared for 
him. 

Haman was naturally at once brought in. 
The king turned to him and said, as he 
salaamed before him, What shall be done unto 

348 



QUEEN ESTHER 

the man whom the king delighteth to honor? 
Now Haman thought in his heart, whom 
would the king delight to honor more than 
myself? So Haman answered the king, For 
the man whom the king delighteth to honor, 
let the royal apparel be brought which the king 
useth to wear, and the horse that the king 
rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set 
upon his head, and let this apparel and horse 
be delivered to the hand of one of the king's 
most noble princes, that he may array the 
man whom the king delighteth to honor and 
bring him on horseback through the street of 
the city and proclaim before him: Thus shall 
it be done to the man whom the king de- 
lighteth to honor. 

Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, 
and take the apparel and the horse, as thou 
hast said, and do even so to Mordecai, the Jew, 
that sitteth at the king's gate. Let nothing 
fail of all that thou hast spoken. 

Then took Haman the apparel and the horse 
and arrayed Mordecai and brought him on 
horseback through the street of the city and 
proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done 

349 



THE STORY BIBLE 

unto the man whom the king delighteth to 
honor. 

I do not suppose that there ever was in all 
the world so great a surprise and so terrible a 
disappointment as this that came to Haman. 
Mordecai in his rich robes sat again in the 
king's gate, but Haman went to his own house 
mourning. When he told his wife and his 
friends what had befallen him, they said, If 
Mordecai belongeth to the Jews, before whom 
thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt surely not 
prevail against him. 

Even as they spoke, the king sent to Haman, 
bidding him haste and go with him to Esther's 
banquet. Seated at the banquet on the second 
day, the king again said, What is thy petition, 
Queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee. 
And what is thy request? and it shall be per- 
formed even to the half of my kingdom. 

Then answered Esther and said, If I have 
found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it 
please the king, let my life be given me at my 
petition, and my people at my request, for we 
are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to 
be slain and to perish. If we had been sold 

350 



QUEEN ESTHER 

for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my 
tongue, although the enemy could not com- 
pensate the king's damage. 

Then the king answered and said unto 
Esther, the queen, Who is he and where is he 
that durst presume in his heart to do this? 

And Esther said, The adversary and the 
enemy is this wicked Haman. 

The doom of Haman was very quickly 
spoken. He was hanged on the gallows he had 
prepared for Mordecai. 

As for the king, he could not repeal the edict 
that had gone forth against the Jews, but very 
swiftly he sent out another, hurrying it by men 
on horseback and riders on mules and camels, 
into every portion of the kingdom. In the 
second edict, the Jews were commanded to 
gather themselves in every city and fight for 
their homes and their little ones, and were told 
to strike down without mercy any one who at- 
tacked them. This decree was given at Shu- 
shan, the palace. It put an end to that perse- 
cution. The Jews had light and gladness and 
joy and honor in their dwellings, and many of 
the people of the land adopted their religion 

35i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and became Jews. Mordecai came into the 
presence of the king in royal apparel of blue 
and white, with garments of fine linen and pur- 
ple and a crown of gold upon his head. Queen 
Esther was honored and loved throughout all 
the realm of Persia. 

It has been said that the name of God is not 
mentioned in the Book of Esther. Neverthe- 
less, the thought of God is in it and we are 
shown that those who pray to Jehovah in 
times of trouble, and who trust Him, will 
never be forsaken. It was He who protected 
His people and gave Queen Esther the glory 
of saving them. 



352 



XLIV 
THE MOST PATIENT OF MEN 

AWAY back in the early days of the world 
there was a man in the land of Uz 
whose name was Job. He was perfect and up- 
right, a man who feared God and hated evil. 
He had seven sons and three daughters. Job 
had seven thousand sheep, three thousand 
camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hun- 
dred she-asses and a very great household. 
And he was the greatest and richest of all the 
men of the East. His sons and daughters 
lived together in great love and often visited 
at one another's homes. In all the earth there 
was no man so happy, so contented and so 
blessed as Job. It was just on this man that a 
great calamity fell, and then another and an- 
other. It came about in this way: 

There was a day when all the sons and all 
the daughters were feasting together in their 
eldest brother's house. Very likely they were 
keeping a birthday. A messenger came run- 
ning in to Job, saying, The oxen were plough- 

353 



THE STORY BIBLE 

ing and the asses feeding beside them, 
when the Sabeans fell upon them and took 
them away. They have slain the servants 
with the edge of the sword and I only am 
escaped alone to tell thee. Before this man 
had finished speaking another came rushing 
in, saying, The fire of God is fallen from 
heaven and hath burned up the sheep and the 
servants and consumed them, and I only am 
escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet 
speaking, another came hurrying in, crying 
out, The Chaldeans made three bands and 
fell upon the camels and have taken them 
away. They have slain the servants with the 
edge of the sword and I only am escaped alone 
to tell thee. As if all this were not enough, 
another messenger came running up and said, 
Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and 
drinking in their eldest brother's house and, 
behold, there came a great wind from the 
wilderness and smote the four corners of the 
house, and it fell upon the young men and they 
are dead, and I only am escaped alone to tell 
thee. 

So, in one hour, the robbers of the desert, 
354 



THE MOST PATIENT OF MEN 

the lightning from heaven and the cyclone had 
done their dreaded work. The father of many 
children was childless, the richest man on the 
earth was the poorest of all. Then Job arose 
and rent his mantle and shaved his head and 
fell down upon the ground and worshipped 
and said, Naked came I into this world and 
naked shall I leave it. The Lord gave and the 
Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name 
of the Lord. In all this Job committed no sin 
nor expressed anger against God. 

Yet the measure of his misery was not full. 
As he lay there on the ground there came on 
him a painful disease, and he was covered with 
boils from head to foot. At last his wife said 
to him, How canst thou bear this any longer? 
Curse God and die. 

But the man who was of all men most 
patient, exclaimed, What! Shall we receive 
good at the hand of God and shall we not re- 
ceive evil? So he remained quiet and submis- 
sive in all his sorrow and poverty. 

After awhile three friends came to see him. 
Their names were Eliphas, Bildad and Zophar. 
Each of them talked a long time and com- 

355 



THE STORY BIBLE 

merited on what Job was suffering. Job him- 
self talked about the past and declared that he 
had lived honestly and spotlessly before God. 
He said, O that my adversary had written a 
book! He felt that he would not fear to take 
that book and appear with it in the presence 
of God. The Lord Himself spoke in Job's 
justification out of the whirlwind. The whole 
book of Job is full of the most beautiful poetry, 
but it is too deep for children to understand. 
One thing you can understand and be glad of, 
and that is that after a time the Lord sent back 
to Job more prosperity than he had at first. In 
his last days he had far more sheep and camels, 
far more oxen and a greater estate than he had 
had in his youth. He had also seven sons and 
three daughters, who took the places of those 
who had perished in the cyclone. In all the 
land, there were no women so fair as the 
daughters of Job and their father gave them 
an inheritance among their brethren. Job 
lived a hundred and forty years to enjoy the 
good things that came to him after the evil 
things had passed away and he died at last, old 
and full of days. 

356 



XLV 
IN THE FIERY FURNACE 

YOU have noticed that a great many 
things happened in the old Bible days 
to God's people in punishment for wrongdo- 
ing. If they had done as the Lord told them 
and had obeyed His command, they would not 
have been carried away captive by their ene- 
mies. They forgot God, disobeyed Him 
and, in consequence, they were often in great 
trouble. The story of the three children in the 
fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar is a story of 
the captivity. The king of Babylon had be- 
sieged Jerusalem, and taken captive many of 
the people, some of them of noble birth. He 
had carried away the golden vessels from the 
temple and had profaned them by using them 
in the house of his god. Among the children 
whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away from 
their native land were four young princes 
whose names were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael 

357 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and Azariah. He changed their names to 
names he liked better, calling Daniel, Belte- 
shazzar and the others respectively, Shadrach, 
Meshach and Abednego. Whatever their 
names were these boys remained princely and 
found favor in the eyes of all who met them. 
They went to school in Babylon and, as there 
were a great many learned men there, they 
soon had a chance to know the wisdom of the 
Chaldeans who were the greatest scholars in 
the world. One thing they refused to do, and 
that was to change their religion. They con- 
tinued to worship the true God and they would 
not eat the flesh offered to idols which others 
in the palace ate. Instead, they lived on sim- 
ple food and God gave them knowledge and 
skill in all learning and wisdom; to Daniel He 
gave wonderful understanding of visions and 
dreams. 

King Nebuchadnezzar one night dreamed a 
dream. In the morning he tried to remember 
it but it had gone from him. We often have 
dreams that we cannot recall after we have 
wakened. But most of us are not so stupid and 
unreasonable as Nebuchadnezzar was about 

358 



IN THE FIERY FURNACE 

his dream. He raged up and down the pal- 
ace, saying to everybody, I have dreamed a 
dream which I have forgotten, and my spirit 
is troubled to know the dream. He sent and 
grouped around him the magicians, the astrol- 
ogers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans, all of 
whom were supposed to be enchanters and to 
know all mysteries, and told them about his 
trouble. Very naturally they said, O King, 
live forever. Tell thy servants the dream and 
we will explain the meaning. 

The king said, I tell you the thing is gone 
from me. If ye will not tell me the dream and 
the interpretation thereof ye shall be cut in 
pieces and your houses shall be laid in ruins. 
But, if ye tell me the dream and the interpre- 
tation, ye shall receive from me gifts and re- 
wards and great honor. 

The poor wise men were in a very unhappy 
predicament. What could they do with this 
unreasonable king who kept insisting, grow- 
ing more and more angry every moment, that 
they should perform the impossible. 

They said at last, There is not a man upon 
the earth that can show the king this matter. 

359 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Never before was it heard of that any king, 
lord or ruler demanded such a thing of any 
magician, astrologer or Chaldean. No human 
being lives who can do this rare thing that the 
king requires. Nobody could show it to the 
king except the gods whose dwelling is not 
with flesh. 

By this time the king had wrought himself 
into a condition of wild fury and he sent out 
a command to destroy all the wise men of 
Babylon. Not one was to be left. In this 
sweeping destruction Daniel and his three 
friends would have been included as they were 
pupils in the school of the Chaldeans. But 
when Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, 
told Daniel about this decree, the young man 
answered, What has happened? Why is the 
decree so hasty from the king? Arioch ac- 
cordingly told Daniel all about it. Fearlessly, 
as became a prince, Daniel went straight to 
the king, begging for a little time and saying 
that he would find out the dream and tell the 
interpretation. Having done this, he went 
home and with his three friends knelt down 
and prayed to the God of Heaven. The God 

360 



IN THE FIERY FURNACE 

Who knows all secrets and to Whom all hearts 
are open listened to their prayer; Daniel knew 
the dream, related it to the king, and told the 
king its meaning. After this the king made 
him a great man, gave him many gifts and 
made him ruler over the whole province of 
Babylon, and chief of the governors over all 
the wise men. The three companions now 
called Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were 
made assistants to Daniel and Daniel sat in 
the king's gate and received honor from all 
who passed by. 

About this time Nebuchadnezzar made a 
gigantic image of gold and set it up in dazzling 
beauty in a plaza where all men could see it. 
It was an image of himself, and a herald pro- 
claimed in loud tones, To you it is commanded, 
O people, nations and languages, 

That at what time ye shall hear the sound 
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, 
dulcimer and all kinds of music, ye shall fall 
down and worship the golden image that 
Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up. 

And whosoever falleth not down and wor- 
shippeth shall the same hour be cast into the 

361 



THE STORY BIBLE 

midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore 
at that time, when all the peoples heard the 
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psal- 
tery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, 
the nations, and the languages, fell down and 
worshipped the golden image that Nebuchad- 
nezzar the king had set up. 

Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans 
came near, and brought accusation against the 
Jews. They answered and said to Nebuchad- 
nezzar the king : O king, live forever. Thou, O 
king, hast made a decree, that every man that 
shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, 
sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds 
of music, shall fall down and worship the 
golden image : and whoso f alleth not down and 
worshippeth, shall be cast into the midst of a 
burning fiery furnace. 

There are certain Jews whom thou hast set 
over the affairs of the province of Babylon, 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these 
men, O king, have not regarded thee; they 
serve not thy gods nor worship the golden 
image which thou hast set up. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury 
362 



IN THE FIERY FURNACE 

commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abednego. Then they brought these men be- 
fore the king. 

Nebuchadnezzar answered and said unto 
them, Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach, 
and Abednego, that ye do not serve my gods, 
nor worship the golden image which I have 
set up? 

Now if ye be ready at whatever time ye hear 
the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, 
psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, 
to fall down and worship the image which I 
have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye 
shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a 
burning fiery furnace; and who is that god 
that shall deliver you out of my hands? 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, an- 
swered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnez- 
zar, we are not careful to answer thee in this 
matter. 

If it be so, our God Whom we serve is able 
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, 
and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O 
king. 

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, 
363 



THE STORY BIBLE 

that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship 
the golden image which thou hast set up. 

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and 
the form of his visage was changed against 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore 
he spoke, and commanded that they should 
heat the furnace seven times more than it was 
wont to be heated. 

And he commanded the most mighty men 
that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Me- 
shach, and Abednego, and to cast them into 
the burning fiery furnace. 

Then these men were bound in their coats, 
their hose, and their hats, and their other gar- 
ments, and were cast into the midst of the 
burning fiery furnace. 

Therefore because the king's commandment 
was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, 
the flame of the fire slew those men that took 
up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, 
and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst 
of the burning fiery furnace. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was as- 
tonished, and arose in haste, and said unto his 

364 



IN THE FIERY FURNACE 

counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound 
into the midst of the fire? They answered and 
said unto the king, True, O king. 

He answered and said, Lo, I see four men 
loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they 
have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is 
like a son of the gods. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the 
mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, 
and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 
ye servants of the most high God, come forth, 
and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, 
and Abednego came forth from the midst of 
the fire. 

And the princes, governors, and captains, 
and the king's counsellors, being gathered to- 
gether, saw these men, upon whose bodies the 
fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head 
singed, neither were their coats changed, nor 
had the smell of fire passed on them. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar answered, and said, 
Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and de- 
livered his servants that trusted in Him and 
have changed the king's word, and yielded 

365 



THE STORY BIBLE 

their bodies, that they might not serve nor 
worship any god, except their own God. 

Therefore I make a decree, That every peo- 
ple, nation, and language, which speak any 
thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, 
and their houses shall be made a dunghill; be- 
cause there is no other God that can deliver 
after this sort. 

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Me- 
shach, and Abednego, in the province of Baby- 
lon. 



366 



XLVI 
THE WRITING ON THE WALL 

AFTER Nebuchadnezzar's death his son 
Belshazzar succeeded him and sat on 
the throne. Daniel still continued to dwell in 
Babylon, but he lived by himself in his own 
house and did not now take any part in the 
government. If he had done so, when Bel- 
shazzar the king made a great feast to a thou- 
sand of his lords and invited them to drink 
wine with him out of the golden vessels that 
had once been used in the temple of God in 
Jerusalem, Daniel would have uttered a pro- 
test. But the king had not Daniel by his side to 
warn him and so he and his people went on in 
their foolish orgy, drank wine and praised the 
gods of gold and silver, of brass, of iron, of 
wood and of stone. The merriment was at its 
height; the dancing girls had performed be- 
fore the king and his nobles. There was 
shouting, there was singing, the lights shone 
and the hour was full of revelry. But hush! 
What is this? 

367 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Suddenly, on the wall, are seen the 
shadowy fingers of a man's hand. Nothing 
else can be seen except the fingers of the hand 
writing and the king looks up and trembles 
with fear. Hurriedly he calls for his wise 
men, begs some one to read the writing and 
tell what it means. Whoever can tell the 
meaning of the mystic words written by the 
shadowy hand on the palace wall shall be 
clothed in scarlet, have a chain of gold about 
his neck, and be made third ruler of the king- 
dom. But no one understood the writing. 
Not a man could help at this moment and the 
king in despair sat staring at the mystic lines 
until the queen mother came to him and re- 
minded him of a person whom he had forgotten. 

There is a man, she said, in thy kingdom in 
whom is the spirit of the holy gods; 

And in the days of thy father, light and un- 
derstanding and wisdom like the wisdom of 
the gods was found in him. 

Belshazzar listened and at once sent mes- 
sengers in all haste to find Daniel. It was not 
now a youth who came and stood before the 
king but a stately man of middle age, with 

368 



THE WRITING ON THE WALL 

keen and piercing eyes, a man who was him- 
self a prince in dignity. 

Belshazzar begged him to interpret the 
strange writing that the shadowy hand had 
left on the palace wall and he promised him 
all the great gifts, the gold chain, the royal 
robe and the position of third ruler in the 
kingdom. But Daniel answered, Let thy gifts 
be to thyself and give thy rewards to another; 
yet I will read the writing for the king and 
make known to him the interpretation. 

O thou king, the most high God gave 
Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom and 
majesty and glory and honor. 

And for the majesty that He gave him, all 
people, all nations and languages, trembled 
and feared before him; whom he would he 
slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and 
whom he would he set up ; and whom he would 
he put down. 

But when his heart was lifted up, and his 
mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from 
his kingly throne, and they took his glory 
from him. And he was driven from the sons 
of men; and his heart was made like the 

369 



THE STORY BIBLE 

beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild 
asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and 
his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till 
he knew that the most high God ruled in the 
kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over 
it whomsoever he will. 

And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not 
humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all 
this; 

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord 
of heaven; and they have brought the vessels 
of his house before thee and thou and thy 
lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have 
drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the 
gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, 
and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: 
and the God in Whose hand thy breath is, and 
Whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glori- 
fied: 

Then was the part of the hand sent from 
him; and this writing was written. 

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 

This is the interpretation of the thing: 
MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom 
and finished it. 

37o 



THE WRITING ON THE WALL 

TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, 
and art found wanting. 

PERES ; Thy kingdom is divided, and given 
to the Medes and Persians. 

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they 
clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain 
of gold about his neck and made a proclama- 
tion concerning him that he should be the 
third ruler in the kingdom. 

Darius and his army crept in by the water- 
gate while the city was madly rioting and the 
king feasting. The River Euphrates ran 
through Babylon. The Medes could not break 
down the city's walls, but they dug a canal and 
drew away the water of the Euphrates, and 
bribing some one to open the gate, they 
marched in on the bed of the stream. So the 
mystic writing was fulfilled. 

In that night was Belshazzar the king of 
the Chaldeans slain. 

And Darius, the Mede, took the kingdom. 



371 



XLVII 
DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 

THE words written on the wall, Thy king- 
dom is divided and given to the Medes 
and Persians, came true on the very night of 
Belshazzar's feast. While he and his nobles 
were still feasting, the army of Darius was in 
the city, and the soldiers appeared between 
midnight and morning at the palace gates. 

So soon as Darius, the Mede, had taken pos- 
session of the kingdom it pleased him to make 
Daniel his prime minister. In the government 
of the new king, Daniel took the same high 
place that he had formerly held when Nebu- 
chadnezzar ruled the realm. Darius often 
asked Daniel to talk with him and took his 
good advice. But the other presidents and 
princes, rulers and governors, the people about 
the court who had come in with Darius and 
the other people who had been spared when 
Belshazzar was slain, were very jealous of 

372 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 

Daniel. They watched him hoping to find 
something to say against him, to spy some 
fault, some mistake or some crime. But 
Daniel was so honorable and faithful that not 
a single flaw could they find. At last they 
agreed together that unless they could some- 
how bring an occasion against Daniel on ac- 
count of the way in which he served his God, 
they might as well drop the attempt. They 
went about the matter with a great deal of 
cunning and craft. It was the custom among 
the Persians and Medes to consider the king 
a fit object of worship. It was the custom, 
too, just as in the days of Ahasuerus, to re- 
gard a law once made by the king as forever 
fixed and not to be changed. If only these 
bad people could persuade the king to make 
a law which Daniel would be certain to break 
on account of his conscience, they felt sure 
that his ruin would be accomplished. 

You may imagine how cunningly they hid 
their design from the king, who was Daniel's 
friend. Entering the royal presence they said, 
as they made their low salaams, King Darius 
live forever. They then went on to tell the king 

373 



THE STORY BIBLE 

that all the presidents of the kingdom, the gov- 
ernors, the princes, the counsellors and the 
captains, had consulted together to make a 
royal statute and a decree that any one, who- 
ever it might be, who should pray to any 
god or man during the next thirty days, ex- 
cept to the king, should be cast into a den of 
lions. Now, O king, they said, Establish the 
decree and sign the writing, that it cannot be 
changed, according to the law of the Medes 
and Persians which changes not. 

I suppose the king was flattered by this 
homage and did not stop to think what a great 
wrong he was committing. He signed the 
writing and the decree. Do you fancy for a 
moment that it would be possible to carry out 
such a foolish decree as this in any country, at 
any time? Prayer is asking for what one wants 
and every little child who is hungry and goes 
to her mother and asks for bread, in that very 
asking, utters a prayer. Every day in the year 
all of us have to ask for many things we need 
both from men and from God. Daniel soon 
heard that this writing was signed but he did 
not alter his manner of life. On the contrary, 

374 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 

he went into his house and, his windows being 
open in the chamber that looked toward Jeru- 
salem, he knelt down three times a day and 
prayed and gave thanks before God, as he had 
always done. 

Darius had not been very long in Babylon. 
Daniel had been there for many years. All the 
people in Babylon knew that Daniel never for- 
got to pray in the Jerusalem chamber. It was 
not that he did it to make a show. It was 
simply that from childhood onward he had al- 
ways, in that place, at certain times, knelt 
down and prayed. He would not change his 
habit because of the command of any earthly 
king. 

Under Daniel's window and on the terrace 
outside his house, assembled little crowds of 
men, smiling with malicious triumph as they 
heard him praying and giving thanks to his 
God. It was the same God who had saved the 
three young men in the fiery furnace and you 
remember, do you not, that, walking in the fire 
with them, those who looked on saw another 
whose form was like the Son of God? Daniel, 
equally with the three friends who had been 

375 



THE STORY BIBLE 

saved from the furnace, trusted Jehovah and 
felt no fear. 

The wicked men came to the king, bowing 
and smirking and trying to conceal their 
triumph. Hast thou not signed a decree, they 
said, that every man who shall ask a petition 
of any god or man within thirty days, except 
of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of 
lions? 

Yes, said the king, the thing is true, accord- 
ing to the law of the Medes and Persians, 
which changeth not. 

Well, they answered, Daniel, who is of the 
captivity of Judah, obeyeth not thee, O king, 
nor regardeth the decree that thou hast signed, 
but maketh his petition three times a day. 

When Darius heard this his heart was 
heavy. He was displeased with himself, and 
nothing is harder than to feel in one's own 
heart that one has made a great and terrible 
mistake. He set his heart to deliver Daniel 
from the lions, and he labored to this end till 
the going down of the sun, but to no purpose. 
For whatever he said was met by Daniel's 
enemies with one word. The law of the Medes 

376 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 

and Persians, once made, cannot be changed. 
There stood the law like a wall of rock. Even 
the king could not batter it down or find a way 
around it. So a guard was sent to Daniel's 
house and Daniel was brought and cast into 
the den of lions. The lions were fierce and 
famished. Nothing could be expected but that 
they would devour Daniel in the twinkling of 
an eye. Yet the king said : O Daniel, thy God, 
Whom thou servest continually, He will de- 
liver thee. 

The man who that day was thrown to the 
lions was much more a king than the trem- 
bling man who wore the crown of Persia. 
They were probably about the same age; both 
had passed their youth, had lived long and 
seen many strange things. One to-day was 
flung into a den of ravenous beasts and the 
mouth of the den was closed with a stone 
which the other sealed with his own royal seal. 

Long and bitter and cold was that night. 
The king in the palace spent it fasting and 
mourning, and he never closed his eyes. Very 
early in the morning, he could bear the sus- 
pense and agony no longer and he ran in haste 

377 



THE STORY BIBLE 

to the den and, standing by it, cried with a 
sorrowful voice unto Daniel, saying : O Daniel, 
servant of the living God, is thy God Whom 
thou servest continually able to deliver thee 
from the lions? 

Then said Daniel to the king, not in a sor- 
rowful voice, but in the voice of one who has 
slept peacefully and been refreshed: O king, 
live forever. My God hath sent His angel and 
hath shut the lions' mouths that they have not 
hurt me; since before Him innocence was 
found in me, and also before thee, O king, 
have I done no hurt, 

At this the king was exceedingly glad and 
commanded that Daniel should be taken up 
out of the den. No manner of bruise or wound 
was found upon him because he had believed 
in His God. 

As for the men who had plotted against 
Daniel, they were thrown to the lions them- 
selves and the fierce lions had the mastery of 
them and quickly ate them up. Their bones 
were broken before they so much as touched 
the bottom of the den. Poor men! They lit- 
tle thought, when they conspired against 

378 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 

God's servant, that they should so soon meet 
the dreadful death they meant for him. 

As for Darius, he made a decree and sent 
it out to the farthest bounds of his empire, to 
the effect that everywhere men should wor- 
ship the God of Daniel. For, said Darius, He 
is the living God, and steadfast forever, and 
His kingdom shall not be destroyed; and His 
dominion shall be without end. 

Daniel lived long after this and had many 
visions of heaven. As he knelt in his room, 
praying with his face to Jerusalem, heaven 
often opened before him. He saw JEHOVAH 
sitting on a sapphire throne, he heard the 
songs of saints and angels and, once, a voice 
which seemed to come from the sky said to 
him: O Daniel, man greatly beloved, under- 
stand the words that I speak unto thee and 
stand upright, for unto thee am I sent. 

So had God spoken to Moses, to Samuel, to 
David, to Elijah and, in earlier days, to Abra- 
ham, Isaac and Jacob. So, dear children, if 
we do His will and listen to His voice, He may 
sometimes, in the hush of our hearts, speak to 
us. We never need fear any trouble or trial if 

379 



THE STORY BIBLE 

we are serving God and not thinking about 
ourselves. No lions shall hurt us, for God is 
our refuge and strength, a very present help 
in time of trouble. 



380 



XLVIII 
THE STRANGE PASSENGER 

I AM now about to tell you the story of a 
good man who was very, very foolish. 
He thought he could run away from God. 
The worst of it was, he was God's prophet and 
should have known better. One day the word 
of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, 
saying, Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, 
and cry against it, for its wickedness is come 
up before me. 

Ninevah was a thronged city, full of people, 
full of great houses, with horses and chariots, 
a mighty army, and every sort of traffic going 
on. It was surrounded by a great wall. The wall 
was so broad that eight chariots with their 
horses easily rode around it side by side, their 
drivers urging on the steeds as if on a race 
course. There was a promenade on the top 
of the wall for the people of Ninevah, and 
down below there were streets and avenues, 
and people were forging ahead on their er- 

381 



THE STORY BIBLE 

rands all day long. How should Jonah, a man 
brought up in the country, a man who had 
lived much alone, go to this great city and give 
God's warning? 

He was very much frightened and thought 
that, instead of going, he would flee from the 
presence of the Lord and go unto a place called 
Tarshish, a good way off from Ninevah. He 
girded up his loins and took his staff, went to 
the nearest seaport, which was Joppa, and 
there he found a ship outward bound. He paid 
his fare and stepped on board, this man who 
was running away from the Lord. 

But the Lord sent a great wind upon the sea, 
and after the wind came a mighty tempest, and 
the ship tossed about on the waves and seemed 
in danger of wreck. The sailors were afraid, 
and they began to throw out the freight to 
lighten the ship. They called upon their gods, 
but the tempest kept on raging and the wild 
gale blew harder than ever. In all this tur- 
moil Jonah lay fast asleep in his berth until 
the captain came and shook him, saying, 
What dost thou mean by sleeping here? 
Arise, call upon thy God. Our gods have not 

382 



THE STRANGE PASSENGER 

helped us, but maybe thine will. Call upon 
Him before we perish. 

In the meantime the mariners, who were 
Tery superstitious and who felt certain that the 
storm had come on account of some one on 
board their ship who had done wrong, drew 
lots to find out who was the culprit. The lot 
fell upon Jonah, the strange passenger. 

Tell us, we pray thee, they said, for what 
cause this evil is upon us? What is thine occu- 
pation? Whence comest thou? What is thy 
country? And of what people art thou? 

He said to them, I am a Hebrew and I fear 
the Lord, the God of Heaven, Who hath 
made the sea and the dry land. Then he con- 
fessed to them that he was disobeying his God 
and running away from His Presence. The 
men looked at him in affright. They said, 
What shall we do to this man that the sea 
may be calmed and our lives saved? For the 
sea was still tempest tossed. Jonah said, 
There is only one thing to be done. Take me 
up and cast me into the sea. As soon as you 
do this the sea will be calm. It is for my sake 
this great tempest is upon you. 

383 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The men hated to do this, and tried hard to 
bring their vessel to land, but all in vain. At 
last, praying to God to forgive them and ask- 
ing Him not to lay upon them the stain of in- 
nocent blood, they took Jonah and threw him 
into the midst of the angry sea. 

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to 
swallow Jonah. The fish opened its mouth 
and Jonah was presently safe within it, as in 
a prison. He stayed in the fish three days and 
three nights, and there in the darkness of this 
strange prison cell, such a floating prison as 
no man ever had before or since, he prayed to 
God. In the highest heaven God heard him; 
and God made the fish again open its mouth 
and it cast out Jonah safe upon the dry land. 

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah 
the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nine- 
vah, that great city, and preach unto it, 
preaching what I bid thee. You see it had been 
of no use for Jonah, like a coward, to run away 
from God. This time he set out at once and 
for three days he traveled toward Ninevah. 
So soon as he entered its outskirts he began 
crying, to every one he met, Yet forty days and 

384 



THE STRANGE PASSENGER 

Ninevah shall be overthrown. Day after day, 
day after day, up and down the streets he 
walked calling out the same message: Yet 
forty days and Ninevah shall be overthrown. 

The people of Ninevah were very much 
startled at this cry of the prophet. From the 
king on his throne to the lowest beggar, they 
humbled themselves before God and repented 
and asked pardon for their sins; and God for- 
gave them and spared their city. 

One would suppose this would have pleased 
Jonah. On the contrary it made him very 
angry. He thought that his message had 
been proved untrue and, instead of being 
thankful that Ninevah was spared, he asked 
God to take away his own life. He com- 
plained against the very God who had been so 
patient with him and, like a fretful child, ex- 
claimed, It is better for me to die than to live. 

Still the Lord had great forbearance and 
said, Doest thou well to be angry? 

Jonah left Ninevah, went outside of it and 
made him a little booth of branches of trees; 
and there he sat and wept because his prophecy 
had not come true. 

385 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The Lord prepared a gourd, a plant that 
grows very rapidly, and it swiftly grew and 
grew until it made a screen for Jonah, to keep 
off the sun. Jonah sat there very happy under 
the shade of the gourd. But the swift growing 
plant lived only a day and withered in a night. 
And after it had faded the sun came out with 
great strength and the east wind blew, and 
Jonah fainted in the heat and again said, O 
that I might die. It is better for me to die than 
to live. 

And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to 
be angry, for the gourd? 

Yes, said Jonah, I do well to be angry, even 
unto death. 

But the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the 
gourd, for which thou hast not labored, which 
came up in a night and perished in a night. 
And should I not spare Ninevah, that great 
city, wherein are more than six score thousand 
little children, and also much cattle? 

This story of Jonah teaches us that God is 
more merciful than man. The whole Bible is 
full of the loving kindness of our God. It has 
been shown, filling with light these stories of 

386 



THE STRANGE PASSENGER 

the Old Testament. We shall find it again in 
the other stories that are to come, and that tell 
us still further of God's great love. 



387 



STORIES FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT. 



XLIX 

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD 

"VVTE have reached the most beautiful story 
Vv of all. The world had been dark and 
sad. There had been little light to cheer 
it and little gladness anywhere for a long time 
when our Lord was born in Bethlehem. Baby- 
lon and Ninevah had passed away, Greece had 
conquered the world, and Alexander the Great 
had wept that there were no more worlds to 
conquer. In turn, the power of Greece had 
waned and Rome became triumphant over 
land and sea. When Jesus Christ was born 
Judea was a province of Rome. The priests 
still ministered in the Temple, but there was 
no sovereign in Judea except Herod who was 
a prince paying tribute to the Roman Em- 
peror. Herod was a cruel and wicked man, 
and the men and women of his house were all, 
without one exception, as bad as bad could be. 
Jerusalem was full of people. Romans were 
there serving under the conquering eagle. 
Greeks, who were the scholars of the time, 

39i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

were there; traders, tourists and adventurers 
from every part of the globe that was then 
known found Jerusalem a place to which they 
loved to resort. 

It occurred to Augustus Caesar, the Roman 
Emperor, that this was the time of times when 
he ought to tax all the inhabitants of his 
realm; so he sent word to Judea that the dif- 
ferent families must return to their native 
villages so that they might there have their 
names registered and from those places pay 
taxes. Obeying this order, a man named 
Joseph set out with his young wife, Mary, to 
go to the little town of Bethlehem in Judea 
that there they might live for awhile in the old 
home of their tribe. 

Both Joseph and Mary belonged to the tribe 
of Judah and were directly descended from 
David the king. Soon after they arrived in 
Bethlehem the little Child of Mary was born. 
Though prophets, many centuries before He 
came, had foretold His birth, He was not born 
in a palace. Never on earth was a little child 
born in a lowlier home. Indeed, Jesus was 
not born in a home at all, for there was no 

392 



THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD 

room in the inn at Bethlehem for Mary his 
mother to lay her head, and she brought forth 
her first born son and wrapped Him in swad- 
dling clothes, and laid Him in a manger. 

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in a 
stable and laid in a manger. No little child of 
earth was ever poorer than this. But wonder- 
ful things happened on the night when Jesus 
was born. There were in the same country 
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch 
over their flocks. The night was very still. 
Suddenly the shepherds saw a great light 
above them as if the heavens were opened and, 
looking up, there were crowds of bright angels 
leaning down from the sky. One mighty angel 
said to the shepherds, Fear not, for behold I 
bring you good tidings of great joy, which 
shall be to all people. For unto you is born 
this day in the city of David a Saviour which 
is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign 
unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in 
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Sud- 
denly, the multitude of the heavenly host be- 
hind this herald angel began to sing in tones 
sweeter than earth had ever heard: Glory to 

393 



THE STORY BIBLE 

God in the Highest and on earth Peace, Good- 
will toward men. 

After the angels had gone away and the doors 
of heaven had closed, the shepherds said to 
one another, Let us now go even unto Bethle- 
hem and see this thing which is come to pass, 
which the Lord hath made known unto us. 
They went with haste, running as fast as they 
could across the dewy fields in the early 
morning, and they found Mary and Joseph 
and the Babe lying in a manger. No wonder 
they told every one they met about the song 
they had heard and the glory of the angels 
in the sky. 

A little time before this, we are told, three 
wise men, kings in their own country, which 
was very far away, had seen a strange star in 
the eastern sky. They had watched the Star 
and had determined to go wherever it led 
them. So, with a train of their people, they 
had mounted their camels and had fared many 
miles across the desert, saying, Where is He 
that is born King of the Jews? For we have 
seen His Star in the east and are come to wor- 
ship Him. 

394 



THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD 

Throughout the long journey the Star led 
them till it stood in the sky over the place 
where the young Child was. When they saw 
the Star standing there they knew they had 
found the right spot and, soon after the 
shepherds, they came into the stable where 
Mary held her little Child. They bowed low, 
with their faces to the earth, and worshipped 
Him and, from the treasures they had brought, 
they presented to Him precious gifts of gold 
and frankincense and myrrh. 

The coming of these wise men was so re- 
markable that tidings of it were soon carried 
to Herod, the wicked king. He was very much 
troubled and annoyed because of that saying: 
Where is He that is born King of the Jews? 
He pretended to the wise men that he wanted 
to know all about the king, when they found 
him, so that he, too, might go and worship 
him, but God warned them in a dream, and 
they went back to their own country by an- 
other way. Then Herod, in order that he 
might kill this little Child, whoever He might 
be, did the most infamous thing his cruel heart 
could think of. He sent forth soldiers and 

395 



THE STORY BIBLE 

slew all the little children in Bethlehem from 
two years old and under, thinking that, in mur- 
dering these innocent infants, he would surely 
kill the little Child the wise men had come so 
far to seek. 

Many dear little children were slain and 
many mothers mourned and wept. But Mary 
and her Child had been taken safe to Egypt. 
An angel had appeared to Joseph in a dream 
saying, Arise, take the young Child and his 
mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there 
until I bring thee word, for Herod will seek the 
young Child to destroy Him. 

He was there until the death of Herod. Be- 
fore this flight into Egypt, Jesus had been 
taken to the Temple, as was the custom of 
all devout Hebrew parents, and there He had 
been circumcised and a sacrifice offered ac- 
cording to the law. Rich people sacrificed a 
lamb. Poor people offered a pair of turtle 
doves. For Jesus, the doves were the offering. 

Two old people, Simeon an aged prophet 
and Anna a prophetess of a great age, gave 
thanks to God when they looked on this little 
Child. 

396 



THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD 

In due time Joseph and Mary returned to 
their own city Nazareth, where the childhood 
of Jesus was spent. There He grew strong 
and beautiful, and the grace of God was with 
Him. Every year at the feast of the Passover 
His parents went to Jerusalem. When Jesus 
was twelve years old, they took Him with 
them. Jewish boys were supposed to be old 
enough at twelve to worship with the men who 
fulfilled the rites of religion. They stayed in 
Jerusalem till the feast was over and, when 
they left to go home again as there was a large 
company of kindred and friends, they did not 
at first notice that Jesus was not with them. 
He had stayed behind in Jerusalem. They 
went a whole day's journey before they missed 
Him, then they turned back to see what had 
become of their Boy. It was after three days 
when they came upon this Child of twelve in 
the Temple, sitting in the midst of the learned 
doctors, listening to them and asking them 
questions. These grave rabbis were aston- 
ished at His understanding and answers. 

His mother said to Jesus, tenderly, Son, 
Why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, 

397 



THE STORY BIBLE 

we have sought thee, sorrowing. And He said 
unto her, How is it that you sought Me? Did 
you not know that I must be about My 
Father's business? 

Mary did not understand what He meant. I 
think He did not wholly understand it Him- 
self; but He went down with His mother and 
Joseph to Nazareth and was subject to them, 
a sweet, loving, obedient son. 

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature 
and in favor with God and man. 

He lived in Nazareth through the years be- 
tween twelve and thirty, working with Joseph 
in the carpenter's shop, going to the syna- 
gogue on the seventh day of the week, and 
learning by heart much that was written in 
the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the 
Psalms. We can see what great honor Jesus 
put upon work, the hard work of men's hands, 
when He Who was the Child of God handled 
the tools of the carpenter, made yokes for the 
oxen and chairs and tables and everything 
that a carpenter made. We may be sure that 
He never did poor work, that everything Jesus 
touched was finished all through just in the 

398 



THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD 

best way He could do it. During those quiet 
years He was getting ready, little by little, 
for a life more full of toil in other ways than 
ever man lived on this earth. 

When Jesus was thirty years old He came 
away from Nazareth where he had been so 
long hidden. At this time John the Baptist 
had appeared, preaching in the wilderness of 
Judea; John was the son of Zachariah and 
Elizabeth who were cousins of Mary the 
mother of Jesus. John had lived much alone 
and had thought a great deal about duty to 
God and man. His office was to be a fore- 
runner of Christ. When a great king goes any- 
where on a visit, somebody sets out a few 
days in advance to make all things ready for 
him. A man who does this is called a herald 
or an ambassador. John the Baptist in the 
New Testament is a good deal like Elijah in 
the Old. He was dressed in a rough cloak of 
camel's hair fastened with a leathern girdle, 
and he did not care very much about luxuries 
and dainties. His food was what the desert 
gave him, locusts and wild honey. He came 
out of the wilderness crying with a mighty 

399 



THE STORY BIBLE 

voice, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven 
is at hand. 

You remember, when Jonah went to Nine- 
vah so much against his will, he cried out, Yet 
forty days and Ninevah shall be destroyed. 

John had a different message. He cried, 
Leave your sins, be sorry for them, and begin 
a new life, because the kingdom of heaven is 
coming here to you. I, indeed, baptize you 
with water unto repentance, but He that 
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose 
shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall bap- 
tize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 

Crowds of people out of the cities, out of 
Jerusalem, out of the villages and from the 
fishing banks, came to John, heard him preach, 
confessed their sins and were baptized. He 
was not afraid of anybody. He looked the 
proudest people in the face and told them that 
they were sinners and must flee from the 
wrath to come. 

One day when John was baptizing there 
came to him a man with a face of heavenly 
majesty and strange sweetness. He stepped 
forth from the crowd to the water's edge and 

400 



THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD 

asked John to baptize Him. But John forbade 
Him saying, I have need to be baptized of 
Thee; and comest Thou to me? 

John knew as he looked at Him that He was 
the Holy One of God. Jesus answered and 
said to him, Let it be so. It becometh us to 
fulfill all righteousness. And so Jesus was 
baptized in the Jordan. As He came up out 
of the water, the heavens were opened, and He 
saw the Spirit of God descending upon Him, 
softly, like a dove. And, lo, a voice from 
heaven came, saying, This is my beloved Son 
in whom I am well pleased. 

A very little while after this baptism Jesus 
went alone into the wilderness, fasted there 
forty days and forty nights, praying to God. 
At the end of the forty days He began to feel 
faint and hungry. Then came the tempter to 
Him saying, If thou be the Son of God com- 
mand that these stones be made bread. 

But He answered and said, It is written, 
Man shall not live by bread alone but by every 
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

The tempter next took Him into the Holy 
City and set Him on a pinnacle of the Temple, 

401 



THE STORY BIBLE 

saying to Him, If Thou be the Son of God 
cast thyself down. For it is written, He shall 
give his angels charge concerning thee and in 
their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any 
time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, 
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 

Again the devil took Him up into an ex- 
ceeding high mountain and showed Him all 
the kingdoms of the world and the glory of 
them and said, All these things will I give thee 
if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 

But Jesus answered, Get thee hence Satan. 
For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord 
thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. 

After this, the tempter left Him, and angels 
from heaven came and ministered to Him. 

Children cannot understand much about 
this trying hour of Jesus. As people grow 
older they know better what it means, but 
there is one thing the youngest child can 
understand. If evil thoughts come into your 
heart and you are tempted to do wrong, to be 
selfish, to be proud, to trample upon other 
people or to do anything mean, answer the evil 

402 



THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD 

thought with some word from God's book. 
Jesus every time answered the tempter with a 
word that was in the Scriptures, some word 
that he had learned by heart when He was a 
little child or a youth working at the carpen- 
ter's bench in Nazareth. 

From this time Jesus began to teach and to 
preach. Walking by the Sea of Galilee He 
saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and An- 
drew his brother, fishing in the sea; their little 
boat and their nets were there, for they were 
fishermen, and He stopped and spoke to them. 
Follow Me, He said, and I will make you fish- 
ers of men. 

At once they left their nets and followed 
Him. He went a little farther on and He saw 
two other men, brothers, James and John, the 
sons of Zebidee ; they too were in a little boat 
with their father mending their nets. And 
they left the boat and their father and followed 
Jesus. 

The next day He found Philip of Bethsaida, 
the city of Andrew and Peter, and said to him, 
Follow thou me. Philip found Nathaniel and 
said to him, Come and see one of Whom Moses 

403 



THE STORY BIBLE 

in the Law and Prophets did write, Jesus of 
Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 

Nathaniel said, doubtingly, Can any good 
thing come out of Nazareth? 

Philip said to him, Come and see. 

When Jesus saw him coming, He said, Be- 
hold an Israelite, indeed, in whom is no guile. 

Nathaniel said to Him, Whence knowest 
thou me? 

Jesus said, Before Philip called thee, when 
thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 

Instantly Nathaniel answered, Master, thou 
art the Son of God. Thou art the King of 
Israel. And Jesus said, Because I said unto 
thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, dost thou 
believe? Thou shalt see greater things than 
these. 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye 
shall see heaven open and the angels of God 
ascending and descending upon the Son of 
Man. 

So the kingdom began. Jesus went about 
all Galilee, sometimes teaching in the syna- 
gogues which were the churches of those days, 
sometimes preaching in the fields or from a lit- 

404 



THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD 

tie boat, often making sick people well and 
bad people good, everywhere doing kind 
things and making the world happy. In His 
first sermon He said: 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall 
be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit 
the earth. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness, for they shall be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall ob- 
tain mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall 
be called the children of God. 

If you will read the fifth, sixth and seventh 
chapters of Matthew you will see what a won- 
derful sermon Jesus preached as He sat on the 
mountain top which was His pulpit. 



405 



WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS 

THE Christ Child's coming to earth when 
the angels sang in the midnight and 
the Star in the East guided the pilgrims to 
the manger was wonderful beyond words. 
But yet more wonderful were the deeds of love 
and kindness that kept springing up like flow- 
ers in His earthly path, after He began to 
preach and teach among the people of the 
Holy Land. To this day we call Palestine the 
Holy Land because Jesus the Christ once lived 
there and trod its hills and vales, sailed upon 
its little lake and often stood beside its foam- 
ing river. 

After Jesus had called to Him Andrew and 
Peter, John and James, Philip and Nathaniel, 
He went home for awhile to stay with His 
mother in Galilee. These were the last days 
when Jesus had a home. From the time He left 
the carpenter's shop and the humble house of 

406 



WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS 

Joseph and Mary, He never had a roof that He 
could call His own. He said, The foxes have 
holes and the birds of the air have nests, but 
the Son of Man hath not where to lay His 
head. 

While He was tarrying with His mother, 
a wedding took place in the neighborhood. 
Weddings are joyful occasions. Our Lord 
never stayed away from a house of joy or cast 
any shadow upon a feast. He and His disci- 
ples were invited to the marriage and they 
went. By some mistake the giver of the feast 
had not provided enough of the wine of the 
country which was the common drink of old 
and young. It troubled the mother of Jesus 
to see her host and hostess disturbed and she 
already had made up her mind that her son 
could do almost anything He chose. She said 
to Him softly, in an undertone, These good 
friends of ours are much distressed for they 
have no more wine and it is not time for the 
company to break up yet. 

He looked at her half reprovingly and said, 
Why ask me? What have I to do with thee? 
Mine hour is not yet come. I think He meant 

407 



THE STORY BIBLE 

that He was not yet ready to do any of the 
wonderful things that later He did. 

His mother read in His loving eyes some- 
thing that made her say to the servants stand- 
ing about, Do whatever my Son shall bid you, 
no matter what it is. Whatsoever He saith 
unto you, do it. 

There were arranged near by six large 
jars of stone used for various things in the 
house, each holding some gallons of water. 
Jesus said to the servants, Fill those jars with 
water. They poured in water until it reached 
the brim of the jars. Then Jesus said, Draw 
out, now, and carry the vessels to the ruler of 
the feast. 

It was crystal water that was poured into 
the stone jars but what they drew out was 
ruby wine. The ruler of the feast tasted it 
and could not imagine where it had come from, 
but he knew it was better by far than any wine 
he had tasted before. He said in surprise to 
the bridegroom, The best wine has been kept 
until now. This was the first wonder work of 
Jesus in Galilee. 

He turned common water into the sweetest, 
408 



WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS 

most fragrant wine; so, for you and me, dear 
children, He can ever make common joys 
precious and beautiful. 

Not very long after this Jesus went into the 
house of Peter, His disciple, and there He 
found the mother of Peter's wife, tossing on 
her bed and burning up with fever. He went 
to her bedside, laid His cool hand on her hot 
one and in a moment the fever left her and she 
was well, so well that she went about the house 
and waited on the others. 

In the eventide many poor people who were 
possessed by evil spirits were brought to Him 
and He restored them to their right mind. In 
ancient days Isaiah the prophet had said, that 
when the Son of God should come, He would 
take away our sicknesses and heal our diseases. 
Jesus fulfilled this promise made of old. 

The great crowds so closed in about Christ 
and His disciples that they had no time to eat 
or sleep. So they took a little boat and went 
out upon the sea and Jesus, with His head on 
a pillow, lay down and fell asleep. The Sea of 
Galilee may be calm one hour and tossed with 
tempests the next. A great storm arose. The 

409 



THE STORY BIBLE 

ship rocked about and seemed as if it would 
sink beneath the waves, but Jesus still slept. 
Then the disciples came and awoke Him, say- 
ing, Lord, save us. We perish. He said, Why 
are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? 

Then He spoke to the winds and the sea and 
said, Peace, be still. And the waves ceased 
their turmoil and the winds their clamor. 

I cannot tell you about all the people that 
Jesus restored to health when they were ill. 
A man would be brought to Him shaking with 
the palsy, and Jesus would say to Him, Arise, 
take up thy bed and walk. The man would 
get up and, rolling together the mat which was 
his bed, would carry it away, though he had 
not walked a step in many years. 

Once some people who wanted a friend to 
be healed of his disease carried him up the lit- 
tle outside stairway to the roof of a house 
within which Jesus was teaching. They let 
down the man through the roof, which they 
took apart for the purpose, and he was laid at 
the feet of Jesus. Not only did Jesus restore 
him to health but He also forgave his sins. 

One of the sweetest stories of what Jesus 
410 



WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS 

did is that sweet story of a little girl whose 
father was a ruler. The ruler's name was 
Jairus. Jesus came down the road followed 
as usual by great throngs of people. The 
father, anxious that his little ailing daughter 
might be saved, pushed the people aside and, 
falling down before Jesus, clasped His feet. 
Over and over again he said, My dear little 
daughter is at the point of death. I pray Thee 
come and lay Thy hands on her that she may 
be healed, and she shall live. 

Jesus went with him. He never refused to 
go to a house of sorrow any more than to a 
house of joy. While He was going a woman 
who had been ill for twelve years and whom 
no doctors had been able to cure, came behind 
Jesus, put out her hand and timidly touched 
the edge of the hem of His garment. She said, 
If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be well. 
You see she had great faith. Although the 
crowd was pressing Him on every side, Jesus 
felt this timid touch. He turned and said, 
Who touched me? The disciples answered, 
Why, Master, everybody has touched Thee. 
The crowd is great, the people are pushed 

411 



THE STORY BIBLE 

against Thee. Why dost Thou say, Who 
touched Me? 

Somebody touched Me, said Jesus, for vir- 
tue has gone out of Me. He looked about to 
see who it was that had been healed, and the 
woman, fearing and trembling, knelt down 
and told Him the truth. 

Daughter, He said to her, Thy faith hath 
made thee whole. Go in peace. Her twelve 
years of pain and suffering were over. Just 
then a man came running from the ruler's 
house exclaiming, Thy daughter is dead. Do 
not trouble the Master any more. 

Ah, said Jesus to the ruler, Be not afraid; 
only believe. 

He left the crowd and went to the ruler's 
house, letting no one go in with Him except 
Peter, James and John. All around there were 
women weeping and wailing. But Jesus said 
to them, Why make ye this ado and weep? 
The damsel is not dead, but asleep. They did 
not believe this and they laughed Him to 
scorn. But He put them all out and, with the 
father and mother of the child and His three 
favorite disciples, entered the room where she 

412 



WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS 

was lying. She lay there on her little bed, 
white and still like a broken lily. Jesus took 
her by the hand and said, Daughter, I say unto 
thee, arise. She opened her eyes, sat up and 
walked, for she was twelve years old. 

Twice again did Jesus raise the dead to life. 
He met a funeral train coming out of a city 
called Nain. On a bier was the body of a 
young man who was the only son of his 
mother, and she was a widow. He pitied the 
poor mourning mother, spoke to her son, and 
his soul came back to him; he went home liv- 
ing and strong and well. 

Some time after, Jesus raised from the dead 
His friend Lazarus, the brother of Martha and 
Mary. I will tell you about these sisters in 
another chapter. 

Lazarus lay in a rocky tomb and all his 
friends were mourning and weeping. His 
grave was a cave and a stone lay upon it. 
Jesus said, Take away the stone. It was taken 
away. Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and 
prayed to His Father and then cried with a 
loud voice, Lazarus, come forth; and he that 
was dead came forth and lived after that for 

4i3 



THE STORY BIBLE 

years among His friends. It was then that 
Jesus said, before He had raised Lazarus, I am 
the resurrection and the life. He that be- 
lieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall 
he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth 
in me shall never die. It was before He raised 
Lazarus that we are told that Jesus wept. 

There were a great many blind people in 
the Holy Land. It was a very hot country 
and the sun beat down with a fierce glare. 
People did not know much about taking 
care of their eyes and their health, and many 
of them were very poor. A blind beggar 
named Bartimeus one day pressed through the 
crowd to Jesus and said, Lord give me back 
my sight. And Jesus gave it him. More won- 
derful still, He gave sight to a man who had 
been born blind, and continually He gave 
hearing to the deaf. No one ever came to 
Jesus in great need who was refused. 

An evil disease called leprosy was very 
prevalent then. A man who had the leprosy 
was not allowed to live with other people, nor 
could he stay in his own home with his broth- 
ers and sisters, his father and mother. He 

414 



WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS 

had to live in the desert and sometimes, as peo- 
ple walked the highway, they would hear a 
leper at the side of the road crying out, I am 
unclean ! I am unclean ! Do not come near me. 
The lepers held out boxes on the end of long 
sticks, and kind people dropped coins into 
them. Many a time Jesus gave the lepers 
healing. With a single word He made them 
well. I am sorry to tell you that often they 
forgot to thank Him. Once, when He healed 
ten lepers, only one came back to offer Him 
praise. No wonder Jesus said sorrowfully, 
Where are the nine? 



415 



LI 
OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

AS often as the sunset returned, crowds 
of people came bringing their friends 
who were ill, the old grandmother and 
grandfather, the cripples, the children who 
were afflicted with any disease, that Jesus 
might heal them. Our dear Lord had very 
little time to be alone. Sometimes He went 
away to a desert place and stayed there. 
Sometimes He went into the mountains and re- 
mained by Himself all night in prayer. There 
were a great many evil spirits in the world 
during the time of Christ's ministry, and often 
they would contrive to steal into people and 
possess them and make them do wicked deeds. 
Jesus could cast these evil spirits out with a 
word. Sometimes they would cry out, saying, 
Thou art Christ, the Son of God. 

All through the week Jesus was busy every 
minute and, when the Sabbath came, He 

416 



OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

would go into the synagogues or churches and 
teach the people. One day He was standing 
beside the Sea of Galilee, and saw two boats 
near the shore. The fishermen had gone out 
in them and were washing their nets. One of 
these little boats belonged to Peter, and Jesus 
stepped into it and asked him to go out a lit- 
tle way from the land. He sat down on the 
deck and spoke to the people on the shore. 
After awhile He said to Peter, Launch out 
into the deep and let down your nets for a 
draught. But Peter said, Master, we have 
toiled all the night and have taken nothing. 
Nevertheless, at Thy word I will let down the 
net. 

No sooner had they done this than the net 
enclosed a great multitude of fishes, so many 
that their net broke. They beckoned to their 
partners to come with the other boat and help 
them bring their catch to land. There were 
so many fish that both boats were heavily 
loaded with all they could carry. Peter and 
those who were with him were astonished at 
the draught of fishes which they had taken. 
Once more they realized that they were in the 

4i7 



THE STORY BIBLE 

presence of One Who could do anything He 
wished and Who was not a mere man like 
themselves. Simon Peter fell down at Jesus' 
feet saying, Depart from me for I am a sinful 
man, O Lord. By this he meant that he felt 
himself not worthy to be close to One so great 
and so good as Jesus. Jesus answered, Fear 
not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 

In some great gallery of paintings you may 
see a picture by Raphael which shows you the 
Sea of Galilee, with a strip of beach in front, 
the crowds on the farther shore and, in the 
foreground, two boats; in one are Peter and 
Andrew with our Lord, while in the other are 
James and John. The fishermen are tugging 
at the laden nets. Jesus, with a look on His 
face that has the brightness of heaven, surveys 
the scene. We must never forget in our 
lives that nothing is impossible with God; 
though we may toil a long time without Him 
to help us, and gain nothing, the moment we 
have His help we may expect to gain every- 
thing. 

Soon after this, as Jesus was walking in a 
crowded street one day, He saw a publican 

418 



OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

named Matthew sitting at the receipt of cus- 
toms. Publicans were appointed by the 
Roman Empire to collect the taxes which were 
levied on the Jews. The taxes were very bur- 
densome. The people had to work hard to 
pay them. Publicans were not liked by their 
fellow townsmen, nor by the farmers and 
shepherds, for it was thought that they often 
grew rich by oppressing the poor and charg- 
ing more than they had a right to do. Jesus 
saw this publican, looked at him and said, Fol- 
low Me. The man, whose name was Mat- 
thew, at once arose and followed Jesus. Then 
he made a great feast in his own house and to 
this he invited a great company of publicans 
and of other men to sit down with Jesus. 

The scribes and Pharisees found fault with 
this and said to Christ's disciples, Why does 
your Master eat and drink with publicans and 
sinners? Jesus answering said, They that are 
whole need not a physician, but they that are 
sick. 

I must tell you who the scribes and Phar- 
isees were. The scribes were learned men 
who spent their time in studying and copying 

419 



THE STORY BIBLE 

the Law of Moses. The Pharisees were very 
strict in observing all the rites and customs 
of the Jewish law. They were not very sin- 
cere as a body, though some among them were 
deeply religious men. Too many of the Phar- 
isees were hypocrites who pretended to a piety 
which they did not have. Jesus could see into 
the hearts of men, and He knew whether or not 
a man was sincere the moment He looked 
at him. I think when He passed by Matthew 
He knew, by Matthew's longing gaze, that he 
would gladly leave the work he was doing and 
take up a nobler work. Jesus added one by 
one to the group of friends who went every- 
where with Him, until He had twelve who 
were called apostles. A still larger number 
were His disciples or scholars who called Him 
Master, and went with Him wherever He 
went. But, in the three years of His public 
ministry, He never gathered a large number 
of followers, although He healed a great mul- 
titude who were ill. 

One Sabbath morning Jesus was walking 
through the corn fields when His disciples, 
who were hungry, plucked the ears of corn 

420 



OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

and ate them. This made the Pharisees 
angry, for they thought it very wrong to do 
the slightest work on the Sabbath. Jesus told 
them, when they complained that His disci- 
ples had broken the law, that the Son of Man 
was Lord also of the Sabbath. 

Again, on a Sabbath Day in the synagogue, 
there was a man whose right hand hung help- 
less and withered by his side. Jesus said to 
the man, Rise up and stand where every one 
can see you. The Pharisees were watching 
with their jealous eyes to see what Jesus 
would do. He turned to them and said, I will 
ask you one thing. Is it lawful on the Sab- 
bath Day to do good or to do evil, to save life 
or to destroy it? 

Then to the man He said, Stretch forth 
thine hand. The moment the man did so, his 
hand was restored and was no longer with- 
ered, but just as if it had always been well. 

Perhaps you would like to know the names 
of the twelve apostles whom Jesus gathered 
from among those who followed Him and who 
were his dearest friends. Simon Peter and 
Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip 

421 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, 
James the son of Alpheus, Simon called 
Zelotes, Judas the brother of James, and Judas 
Iscariot. You notice that there were three 
pairs of brothers in this little company of 
friends and that some of the men had the same 
names; that is, there were two named James, 
two named Judas and two named Simon. You 
will have to read for yourselves the four 
stories of the life of Christ that are given in 
the New Testament, by Matthew, Mark, Luke 
and John, if you wish to know everything that 
Jesus did and said. I am only culling for you 
a few stories here and there. 

Jesus was at a feast one day, in the house of 
a Pharisee, when a woman came softly in 
bringing with her an alabaster box of very 
precious ointment. She stood at His feet be- 
hind Him weeping. You know people did not 
sit on chairs at the table, but reclined on 
couches or divans, so that she could easily come 
to the other side of the couch and stoop down 
to anoint the Master's feet. She knelt at His 
feet and her tears fell on them and washed 
away the dust of the road. She had no towel 

422 



OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

but she wiped His feet with her thick tresses of 
dark hair, falling low to the hem of her gown. 
She kissed His feet, and then she anointed 
them with the precious ointment, so that its 
perfume filled the house. 

The Pharisees began to grumble and com- 
plain, and the one who was the host frowned 
and muttered and said to himself, If this man 
were a prophet He would have known that 
this woman who touched Him is not fit to 
come here, for she is a sinner. 

Jesus did not need that people should talk 
to Him. He could read their thoughts. He 
said to the Pharisee, I have somewhat to say 
unto thee. 

Master, say on, was the answer. 

Tenderly Jesus spoke: There was a certain 
creditor who had two debtors; one owed him 
five hundred pence and the other fifty. When 
they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave 
them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them 
will love him most? 

Simon answered and said, I suppose that 
he to whom he forgave most. Simon was a 
common name among the Jews, as John and 

423 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Henry and James are with us. This Simon 
was not one of Christ's apostles. 

Jesus said to Simon, Thou hast rightly 
judged. 

Turning to the woman He said, Seest thou 
this woman? I entered into thine house, thou 
gavest me no water for my feet, but she hath 
washed my feet with tears and wiped them 
with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me 
no kiss but this woman, since the time I came 
in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head 
with oil thou didst not anoint, but this woman 
hath anointed my feet with ointment. Where- 
fore I say unto thee, Her sins which are many 
are forgiven, for she loved much. But to 
whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 

And He said unto her, Thy sins are for- 
given. 

Those who were sitting at the table with 
Him began to wonder, Who is this that for- 
giveth sins also? But He said to the woman, 
Thy faith hath saved thee. Go in peace. 

Weary with toil and teaching, Jesus with- 
drew across the sea that He might be for a 
little while alone with His disciples. But the 

424 



OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

multitude followed Him around the lake and, 
when He reached the place where He had ex- 
pected to rest, there were men, women and 
children, all waiting to hear the words that 
He had to say. The disciples were much 
troubled when they saw the waiting crowds. 
They said, This is a desert place and the day 
is far spent. Lord, send these people away 
that they may go into the villages and the 
country round about and buy themselves 
bread, for they have nothing to eat. 

Jesus said, Give ye them to eat. 

They looked at each other, and at Him, in 
the greatest astonishment. Shall we go, they 
said, and buy bread enough to feed all these 
people? 

Jesus said, How many loaves have ye? go 
and see. It happened there was a lad there 
who had five little barley loaves and two small 
fishes. Jesus commanded the people to sit 
down. You may try to think how they looked 
sitting down in good order on the green grass, 
whole families side by side, little children by 
their mothers, husbands and wives sitting to- 
gether, friends in little groups. They sat 

425 



THE STORY BIBLE 

down by hundreds and by fifties, with little 
lanes between them through which the disci- 
ples could pass. Jesus took the five loaves and 
the two fishes, looked up to heaven and blessed 
the bread. Then He began to break the 
loaves and divide the fishes, and as He broke 
He gave to the disciples, and the little loaves 
grew to more and more and more in His hands 
until five thousand men, and women and chil- 
dren to the number of many more, had been 
fed and were satisfied. Twelve baskets full 
of fragments remained after they had been 
fed. This was not the only time when Jesus 
fed a famished crowd. Another day He re- 
fused to send home a fasting multitude, who 
had been with Him three days without re- 
freshment. The disciples, forgetful of what 
He had done before, said, How can we feed 
these men here in the wilderness? This time 
they had seven loaves. Jesus gave thanks and 
blessed and brake, and the loaves were suf- 
ficient to feed four thousand men. 

The lesson for you and me is that Jesus can 
always make our little provision enough for 
our greatest need, if we trust in Him. If you 

426 



OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

know any one who is so deaf that the world 
all about him is silent, so that he cannot hear 
the voice of his friends, nor the sound of a 
drum or a bugle, nor the singing of birds, so 
that he lives without the pleasure you have 
because you can hear, you can fancy how glad 
must have been a deaf and dumb man who was 
brought to Jesus. Jesus said to him, first look- 
ing up to heaven and then touching the poor 
deaf ears and the poor dumb tongue: Be 
opened. And at once the man could hear and 
speak. Jesus charged the people not to tell 
this, but the more he charged them the more 
they published it. 

A poor mother who belonged not among the 
Jews, but among the Greeks, and lived on the 
borders of Tyre and Sidon, entreated Jesus to 
make her young daughter well. An evil spirit 
had made the poor daughter insane. At first 
to try her faith, it seemed as if Jesus did not 
want to do this, but in a little while, when He 
found that she would not be discouraged, He 
said, Go thy way; the evil spirit is gone from 
thy daughter. 

A man who had been blind from his birth 
427 



THE STORY BIBLE 

had his sight given to him. The Pharisees 
were very angry at this. They had begun to 
hate Jesus because every one else loved Him, 
and He was always doing good. They tried 
to entrap the man who had been blind. This 
man had been so poor that he had to sit be- 
side the road and beg. When the neighbors 
saw him walking around just like other peo- 
ple, they said, Why this is the man who used 
to sit all day beside the road begging for bread. 
Some said, He looks like him, but it may be 
some one else. The man said, I am he. A 
man who is called Jesus made clay and 
anointed my eyes and told me to go to the 
Pool of Siloam and wash. I went and washed, 
and I received my sight. It was on the Sab- 
bath Day that Jesus gave this man his sight. 
The Pharisees were angry about this. They 
cared more for keeping the Sabbath law, by 
which they thought that they must sit still 
and do nothing all day, than they did about 
helping people who were in trouble. To the 
man they said, Give God the praise. We know 
that this Jesus is a sinner. The man said in 
reply, Whether He be a sinner or not I do not 

428 



OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

know. One thing I know, that I have always 
been blind, and now I see. They could not 
make this man, who had been healed and 
to whom sight had been given, declare that 
Jesus Christ was a sinful man. In his heart he 
felt that the One who had done so much for 
him was from God. So the Pharisees violently 
threw the poor fellow out of their company. 
It did not matter to him, for as he was walking 
along he met Jesus in the way. Jesus said to 
him, Dost thou believe in the Son of God? 

Who is He, Lord, that I might believe in 
Him? 

And Jesus said to this man, Thou hast seen 
Him and it is He that talketh with thee. 

Quickly came the answer, Lord, I believe. 

One night when the winds were contrary 
the disciples were out in a little boat tossing 
up and down upon the stormy Sea of Galilee. 
Jesus was not with them. It was between 
midnight and dawn when they looked across 
the boiling waves and saw One walking upon 
them as if the waves had been a floor of glass. 
They were afraid, but a voice they knew called 
over the waters: It is I. Be not afraid. And, 

429 



THE STORY BIBLE 

as He drew nearer, they saw that the One 
coming to them was indeed their Master. 
Peter cried out, Lord, if it be Thou, let me 
come to Thee on the water. Jesus bade him 
come. At first Peter stepped on the waves 
with confidence, but presently he lost his faith 
and began to sink. Jesus put out a hand and 
caught him, saying, O thou of little faith. 
Wherefore didst thou doubt? For Peter had 
cried, Lord, save me or I perish. 

Jesus stepped into the boat with them, tak- 
ing Peter with Him by the hand, and the winds 
and waves grew calm. 

One little word is repeated over and over, in 
all these stories of Jesus. It is the word faith. 
Those who had faith received blessings from 
our Lord. Do you know what it is to have 
faith? Perhaps I can tell you. It is the feel- 
ing you have when your father calls you, and 
you run to him, or when your mother promises 
you something you want very much. You 
know that father and mother can do what they 
say they will. You do not think for a moment 
that they will ever disappoint you. If you are 
ill and the doctor comes, when you see his kind 

430 



OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS 

face beside your bed you feel sure that he will 
soon make you well. This is faith. This same 
faith we must have in Jesus Christ, who came 
to save His people from their sins and to save 
the whole wide world. Whatever He has said 
He will do. 



43i 



LII 
HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST 

AS Jesus was going on His way to Jeru- 
salem He passed along the Jericho 
road. There was a man living near Jericho 
named Zaccheus. He was a publican and 
very rich. He wanted very much to see Jesus 
but could not get at Him through the crowd. 
So he ran before and climbed up into a syca- 
more tree and hid himself there among the 
branches. Zaccheus was a little man who 
could easily hide himself among the green 
leaves. But Jesus saw him and, looking up, 
said: Zaccheus, make haste and come down, 
for to-day I must abide at thy house. Zac- 
cheus was very happy to receive Jesus and, 
although the Pharisees murmured, Jesus did 
not care. Zaccheus said, Lord, the half of my 
goods I give to the poor and, if I have taken 
anything from any man by false accusation, 
I restore him fourfold. 

And Jesus said to him, This day is salvation 
432 



HOSANNAH IN THE HIGHEST 

come to this house, because he also is a son 
of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to 
seek and to save that which was lost. 

Passing on from Jericho, Jesus ascended to 
Jerusalem. When He was near the little vil- 
lage of Bethany, where lived his friends 
Martha and Mary and Lazarus, and when He 
had reached the Mount of Olives, He sent two 
of His disciples saying, Go into the village 
over against you, in the which, at your enter- 
ing, ye shall find a colt tied whereon yet never 
man sat. Loose him and bring him hither. 
If any man ask you, Why do ye loose him, say 
unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. 
The two disciples went their way and found 
the colt and the owners said, Why loose ye the 
colt, and they made that reply. The owners 
were very glad to let the colt go that Jesus 
might ride him into Jerusalem. Jesus was go- 
ing to Jerusalem to meet insult and sorrow 
and death, but this time He did not enter the 
city on foot. He entered riding as a prince 
might ride. This was done that an old saying 
of the prophet might be fulfilled, 

Tell ye the daughter of Zion, behold, thy 
433 



THE STORY BIBLE 

king cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon 
an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 

Jesus rode upon the colt, and a great mul- 
titude followed and surrounded Him. They 
took off their loose outer garments and spread 
them in the way so that the steep and stony 
hillside was covered royally. Branches of 
palm trees were cut down and strewn in the 
way before Him, and the multitude that went 
before and the multitude that followed 
shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David. 
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the 
Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 

So, riding in triumph amid palm branches 
waving and people shouting, Jesus entered 
Jerusalem; and the whole city was moved and 
one to another said, Who is this? And the 
multitude answered, This is Jesus, the prophet 
of Nazareth of Galilee. 

The King had entered Jerusalem. He went 
into the Temple of God. In the outer court of 
the Temple He found merchants buying and 
selling and money changers busy with their 
money and overcharging the poor who came 
to buy doves for the sacrifice. He overthrew 

434 



HOSANNAH IN THE HIGHEST 

their tables and drove them out, saying: It is 
written, My house shall be called the house 
of prayer but ye have made it a den of thieves. 
Here in the Temple, even at this moment when 
He overthrew the tables of those who pro- 
faned it, the blind and the lame came crowd- 
ing to Him and He healed them. Well was it 
for them that they came to Jesus that day. 
Only a few days later and there was no one 
in all Judea who could give sight to the blind 
and restore health to the lame. Into the Tem- 
ple courts came the children, crying out with 
their sweet voices, Hosanna to the Son of 
David. The chief priests and scribes saw the 
wonderful things that Jesus did and heard the 
children crying Hosanna, and they were moved 
to scorn and anger. They met together and 
closed around Jesus with their angry faces, 
saying, Hearest thou what these children say? 

Yes, said Jesus, Have ye never read, Out of 
the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast 
perfected praise? 

Jesus walked away from them, leaving them 
muttering and complaining; their voices were 
not sweet like those of the children; they were 

435 



THE STORY BIBLE 

more like the growl of fierce lions seeking their 
prey. That night Jesus left Jerusalem and 
went to Bethany and lodged there. No doubt 
He spent the last peaceful night of His life in 
the home of Mary and her sister Martha. It 
was Martha, the good housekeeper, who 
would bustle about and do everything for His 
comfort. It was Mary who would sit at His 
feet and listen while He talked of the things 
of the kingdom. It was under a friend's roof, 
with friendly care about Him, that Jesus slept 
before the darkest days came on. 



436 



LIII 
ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS 

SIX days before the Passover Jesus was a 
guest in the little home in Bethany of 
Martha, Mary and Lazarus. They made 
Him a supper and Martha served. Mary had 
among her treasures a pound of ointment of 
spikenard that was very costly. She brought 
this to Jesus and anointed His feet as another 
Mary had done before. One of the disciples, 
Judas Iscariot, who loved money very much 
and Christ very little, exclaimed at what he 
thought was waste, Why was not this oint- 
ment sold, and the price given to the poor? 

Judas did not care about the poor, for he 
was at heart a thief. He was the treasurer 
of the little band and carried the purse. He 
scowled darkly at Mary. 

Let her alone, said Jesus. Against the day 
of my burying hath she kept this. The poor 
always ye have with you, but Me ye have not 
always. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever 
My gospel shall be preached in the whole 

437 



THE STORY BIBLE 

world, there shall this that this woman hath 
done be told for a memorial of her. 

Judas crept out under cover of night and 
made a wicked bargain with the chief priests 
who hated Christ, to betray his Master into 
their hands. He promised to do it for thirty 
pieces of silver. This was the price for which 
a slave was in those days sold in the market. 
Judas knew that before long he would find 
some way or chance to earn this wretched 
money. In this very bargain there was an in- 
sult to the Christ, and the priests and Judas 
knew it well. 

On the first day of the Passover Jesus sent 
word to a friend in Jerusalem, My time is at 
hand. I will keep the Passover in thy house 
with My disciples. 

At evening the twelve sat around the Master 
in an upper room. They were at supper. As 
they were eating He said, One of you shall 
betray Me. They were very sorrowful when 
they heard this, exceedingly sorrowful, and 
one after another said, Lord, is it I? Even 
Judas dared to say, Lord, is it I? It was at 
this Passover that Jesus took bread, blessed it, 

438 



ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS 

and breaking, gave it to His disciples and said, 
Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for 
you. This do in remembrance of Me. And 
He took the cup after supper, saying, This cup 
is the New Testament in My blood which is 
shed for you. 

This was the first time that the Church of 
Jesus Christ on earth celebrated the Holy 
Communion. As often as Christian people 
anywhere on the globe observe the rite of the 
Lord's Supper, they are keeping in memory 
the Lord Who gave Himself, for them, when 
He died on the cross. 

Long before this time John had said, Be- 
hold, the Lamb of God who taketh away the 
sin of the world. 

John the Baptist had been killed in prison 
by Herod. He had borne witness to Jesus as 
the Son of God beside the bank of the River 
Jordan. Now there were to be many wit- 
nesses who should see our Lord arrive at the 
end of His work upon earth. When the Sup- 
per was over they all went out and walked to 
a garden where Jesus had often loved to rest 
beneath the shade of the olive trees. Peter 

439 



THE STORY BIBLE 

said, Though all men forsake thee, yet will not 
I, and Jesus replied, Before the cock crow twice 
thou shalt deny me thrice. 

As they walked along through the darkness, 
Jesus said many comforting words which you 
may find written in the Gospel of John. 
When He reached the Mount of Olives He 
went a little way into the shadowy garden, 
taking with Him Peter, James, and John. He 
left them about a stone's cast, knelt down and 
prayed, saying, Father, if Thou be willing, re- 
move this cup from me. Nevertheless, not My 
will but Thine be done. 

An angel came from heaven to strengthen 
Him, as He prayed in Gethsemane, for His 
agony was so great that His sweat was as it 
were great drops of blood falling to the 
ground. The three disciples, worn out with 
sorrow, were soon fast asleep. Jesus wakened 
them, saying, Rise and pray lest ye enter into 
temptation. At this moment there was a 
great clamor, and a great throng of people 
came hurrying into the garden. They were 
led by Judas Iscariot, who went before them 
and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. This was 

440 



ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS 

the sign Judas had given the chief priests. 
Jesus said, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of 
Man with a kiss? 

One of the disciples stretched out his hand 
with a sword, struck a servant of the high 
priest and cut off his ear. But Jesus touched 
the ear and restored it. Then He said to His 
disciple, Put up thy sword. Thinkest thou 
that I cannot now pray to My Father and He 
shall presently give Me more than twelve 
legions of angels? 

Turning to the multitude He said, Are you 
come out as against a thief, with swords and 
staves to take Me? I sat daily with you in 
the Temple and ye laid no hold on Me. 

I am ashamed to tell you that all the dis- 
ciples now forsook Jesus and fled. His enemies 
hurried Him away to the hall of the high 
priest. Two disciples, ashamed of their 
cowardice, followed Him there, John at a little 
distance and Peter afar off. There were no 
witnesses to say a single word against Jesus 
but there were found two who were willing 
to swear falsely against him. To all that they 
said, He answered nothing. But the high 

441 



THE STORY BIBLE 

priest at last turned to Him, saying, I adjure 
thee, by the living God, that thou tell us 
whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God? 

Jesus answered, Thou hast said. Hereafter 
shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right 
hand of power and coming in the clouds of 
heaven. 

The high priest rent his clothes, saying, He 
hath spoken blasphemy. The crowd shouted, 
He is guilty of death. Then they spit in His 
face and buffeted Him and jeered at Him and 
struck Him with the palms of their hands. 

While this was going on, Peter, who had 
always before been brave, sat cowering in the 
court of the palace. A maid said to him, Thou 
wast with Jesus of Galilee. Peter denied this 
before them all. He said, I know not what 
thou sayest. He left this group and went into 
the porch, where another maid said, This fel- 
low was with Jesus of Nazareth. Again he 
denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 
Fright had made Peter very base. 

A little later somebody else accused him, 
saying, Surely, thou art one of them. We can 
tell it by thy speech. Then Peter began to 

442 



ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS 

curse and swear, declaring, I know not the 
man. Immediately the cock crew. The Lord 
turned and looked at Peter, a sad reproachful 
look. Peter went out and wept bitterly. 

Judas, who had betrayed his Lord, tried to 
undo what he had done. He brought back the 
thirty pieces of silver, threw them down be- 
fore the chief priests and said, I have sinned. 
I have betrayed innocent blood. 

Little did they care. They spurned Judas, 
and he went away and hanged himself. 

Jesus was taken by the chief priests, who 
had no authority to put any one to death be- 
cause the real ruler of Judea was the Roman 
Emperor, into the presence of Pontius Pilate 
the Roman Governor. Pilate did not wish to 
sentence Jesus to death. He had heard noth- 
ing but good of Him. As he sat on the judg- 
ment seat Pilate's wife sent him a message 
begging him to release Jesus. I am always 
glad when I remember this, because no 
woman's heart or hand had anything to do 
with crucifying our Lord. The Roman matron 
was an idolater but, with the daughters of 
Jerusalem, she wept when the shadows gath- 

443 



THE STORY BIBLE 

ered around the Saviour's head. Pilate of- 
fered to release Jesus. 

It was customary at the feast of the Passover 
to set a prisoner free. Pilate said, Shall I re- 
lease to you Barabbas who is in prison or Jesus 
who is called Christ? The crowd with one ac- 
cord begged that Barabbas, a robber, should be 
released, and they shouted, Let Jesus be cruci- 
fied. Pilate took water and washed his hands 
before them, saying, I am innocent of the 
blood of this just person. See ye to it. They 
all answered, His blood be on us and on our 
children. 



444 



LIV 
THE GREEN HILL FAR AWAY 

THERE was nothing they could do to hurt 
or wound Jesus that they omitted. 
First He was scourged; then the Roman 
soldiers took Him into the common hall, 
stripped Him of His own clothing and put on 
Him, in mockery, a scarlet robe. Kings wore 
scarlet. They plaited a crown of thorns, 
sharp, cruel thorns, and put it on His head. 
They thrust a reed in his right hand and they 
bowed the knee before Him, saying, Hail, 
King of the Jews. They spit upon Him as 
the Jews had done before. They took the reed 
and struck Him with it. At last they took off 
the scarlet robe, put His own raiment on Him 
and led Him away to a hill called Calvary, 
where they nailed Him to the Cross. They 
parted His garments among themselves, cast- 
ing lots. While Jesus hung on the Cross, over 
His head, in three languages, Hebrew, Greek 

445 



THE STORY BIBLE 

and Latin, these words were written: This is 
Jesus, the King of the Jews. 

On either side of Jesus were crucified two 
thieves. Only the lowest and meanest of man- 
kind might be put to death on the cross. Jesus 
was crucified between two thieves that He 
might be the more deeply shamed. One of the 
thieves reviled Him, the other repented of his 
sin and said, Lord, remember me when thou 
comest into thy kingdom. Even on the Cross, 
Jesus had a tender thought for this repentant 
man. He said, Verily, I say unto thee, to-day 
thou shalt be with me in Paradise. 

The Jews reviled Him, saying, If thou be 
the Son of God come down from the Cross. 
Others said, He saved others; himself he can- 
not save. Jesus heard their cruel words and 
He made no reply to them, but He prayed to 
God, Father forgive them, for they know not 
what they do. 

Near the foot of the Cross, weeping, was 
Mary the mother of Jesus, and beside her was 
John, the disciple Jesus most tenderly loved. 
Jesus thought of her amid all His pain and 
grief and said to her, Woman, behold thy son; 

446 



THE GREEN HILL FAR AWAY 

and to John, Son, behold thy mother. From 
that time John took care of the mother of 
Jesus as if she had really been his own. 

Over all the world, while this scene was go- 
ing on, there brooded a thick darkness, a dark- 
ness deeper than midnight, lasting from noon 
until three o'clock. All was black on Calvary. 
Out of this darkness, Jesus cried with a loud 
voice, My God, My God, Why hast thou for- 
saken me? Some pitying person took a sponge 
wet with vinegar and held it up to the suf- 
ferer's lips to soothe Him. Others stood by 
without any pity. But again out of the dark- 
ness came a loud cry, It is finished. Father, 
into Thy hands I commend My spirit. 

The sacrifice was accomplished; wicked 
men had crucified Jesus and put Him to death. 

The Roman centurion commanding the 
soldiers about the Cross exclaimed, Truly, this 
was the Son of God. 

Just as He passed away there was a mighty 
earthquake. The veil of the Temple, that had 
always divided the most holy place from the 
outer courts, was torn in two from the top 
to the bottom. Graves were opened and 

447 



THE STORY BIBLE 

many of the people who had been sleeping in 
them arose and came forth. 

There is a green hill far away, 

Without a city wall, 
Where the dear Lord was crucified, 

Who died to save us all. 

O dearly, dearly has He loved, 
And we must love Him too, 

And trust in His redeeming love, 
And strive His work to do. 

When the evening was come a rich man 
named Joseph, who was a disciple of Jesus, 
went to Pilate and begged for the body. 
When he had received it he wrapped it in a 
linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb 
which he had hewn out of a rock. He rolled 
a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and 
departed. The only ones who stayed beside 
the sepulchre that night were women who had 
loved the Lord. But they left when Pilate 
sent a guard of Roman soldiers to watch about 
the tomb. Jesus had said that after three days 
He would rise again. The wicked chief priests 
urged Pilate to give them a guard of soldiers 

448 



THE GREEN HILL FAR AWAY 

until after the third day, lest, they said, His 
disciples come by night and steal His body 
and say, He is risen from the dead. 

Pilate gave them the guard, the great stone 
was sealed, and the sentinels paced up and 
down before the chamber in the rock where 
the crucified body of the Master was lying. 



449 



LV 
THE FIRST EASTER 

■WRICKED men had done all they could 
Wr to show their hate and scorn and the 
hardness of their hearts. They had turned 
away from the most loving, the most gentle, 
the most patient friend who ever came to this 
world, the friend of every man from the high- 
est to the lowest. Jesus had gone about doing 
good. He had fed the hungry and healed the 
sick and taught men to love one another. He 
had said, Come unto Me, all ye that are weary 
and heavy laden and I will give you rest. The 
kinder Jesus was the more He was hated by 
the bad men around Him. He came unto His 
own, and His own received Him not. He was 
despised and rejected of men, and was led as 
a lamb to the slaughter; and, as a sheep before 
her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His 
mouth. 

At last they had done their worst. Jesus 
450 



THE FIRST EASTER 

of Nazareth was crucified and was laid in 
Joseph's tomb. 

He had said, After three days I will rise 
again. 

Nobody understood this. Nobody believed 
or expected it. The disciples went home from 
Calvary with breaking hearts. The Master 
was with them no more. 

But very early in the morning of the first 
day of the week, when the Sabbath was over> 
the women who loved Him went to the Garden 
with spices that they might embalm the dear 
body. The first to reach the place was that 
Mary who had broken her alabaster box of 
precious ointment on His feet and wiped them 
with her hair. She reached the Garden tomb 
before the sun was up, while it was yet dark, 
and to her surprise the great stone was rolled 
away from its door. She ran back hurriedly 
over the path she had trodden, and met Peter, 
and John the disciple whom Jesus had best 
loved, and said to them, 

They have take£f away my Lord out of the 
sepulchre, and I know not where they have 
laid Him. **/ <' 

45i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Peter and John both ran swiftly at this 
strange news but John ran more swiftly than 
Peter. They stooped down and peered into 
the rocky chamber. It was empty. The linen 
clothes that Jesus had worn were folded up on 
the couch where He had lain. 

When John saw the empty tomb he believed 
that Christ had risen. But he did not under- 
stand it. 

He and Peter went home. Not so Mary. 
She lingered in the Garden, weeping. And 
again she turned to the tomb and looked into 
its darkness. 

It was not empty. A wonderful bright light 
filled it. Two glorious angels, all in shining 
white, were sitting, one at the head, the other 
at the foot, of the rocky shelf that had been the 
bed of Him Who died upon the Cross. 

Woman, why weepest thou? The angel's 
voice was like a flute, so clear, so sweet. 

She answered, I weep because they have 
taken away my Lord; and I know not where 
they have laid Him. 

She turned away and, through her tears, 
saw some one standing among the white lilies. 

452 



THE FIRST EASTER 

She thought it was the gardener, when He 
said: 

Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seek- 
est thou? 

She made the same reply with a little dif- 
ference. 

Sir, if thou hast borne Him hence, tell me 
where thou hast laid Him and I will take Him 
away. 

Jesus said to her, Mary ! 

She knew THAT voice ! She thrilled at the 
sound of her own name. She threw herself 
at His feet and would have worshipped Him. 
She cried, Master, in accents of joyful love. 

But Jesus said, Touch me not, for I am not 
yet ascended to my Father, but go to my 
brethren and tell them I ascend unto my 
Father and your Father, to my God and your 
God. 

So, dear children, the first Easter Day came 
into the world. 

She walked amid the lilies 

Upstanding straight and tall, 
Their silver tapers bright against 

The dusky mountain wall. 

453 



THE STORY BIBLE 

Gray olives dropped upon her 

Their globes of crystal dew, 
The while the doors of heaven swung wide 

To let the Easter through. 

Mary was not the only one to whom the 
angels spoke in the dawn of Easter. To a lit- 
tle company who quickly followed her and, 
like her, found the stone rolled away, they 
said: Be not afraid. Ye seek Jesus of Naza- 
reth Who was crucified. He is risen. He is 
not here. Go tell His disciples and Peter that 
He is going before you to Galilee. 

There is something very sweet in the phrase 
"and Peter." Don't you think so, children? 
For Peter could not forget that, in the hour of 
the Master's peril, he had denied Him. It was 
as if a message of forgiveness were sent by the 
angels to Peter. 

Jesus appeared a number of times to His 
disciples during the forty days before He 
finally ascended to heaven. 

Sometimes He came into the upper room 
where they met to pray. He entered without 
opening the locked and bolted door. They 
would glance up and there He would be stand- 

454 



THE FIRST EASTER 

ing, His hands outstretched, His familiar voice 
saying, Peace be unto you! 

One disciple, Thomas, did not believe that 
it could be Jesus Himself. He was not present 
when first the Master appeared. But the next 
time Jesus saw Thomas there and, knowing 
that Thomas had said, though nobody had 
told Him, that, unless he could see the print 
of the nails and the wounded side, he would 
not believe it was the Master, Jesus said: 

Reach hither thy finger and behold My 
hands and reach hither thy hand and thrust it 
into My side; and be not faithless, but believ- 
ing. 

Thomas did not doubt after that. My Lord, 
he cried, and My God! 

Jesus joined two disciples who were taking 
a walk to a village called Emmaus, about 
seven miles from Jerusalem. He walked and 
talked with them a long time and, as night 
drew near, they invited Him to go into their 
home and take supper with them. As He 
broke the bread and blessed it, their eyes were 
opened and they knew him. 

Some of the disciples, being fishermen, went 
455 



THE STORY BIBLE 

out on the Sea of Galilee with their boats. In 
the early morning the boats drew to the shore. 
They had caught no fish. 

Children, have ye any meat? asked a 
stranger. 

No, they said. 

Cast the net on the right side of the ship 
and you shall find. They did so, and the net 
was crowded with the struggling fish. 

Said John, the one best beloved, to Peter, 

Peter, this is the Master! 

Peter threw his coat around him and dashed 
into the sea to get soonest to the beach. This 
was always Peter's way. 

Wet and weary, the other disciples dragged 
in their little boat piled high with the fishes 
they had caught. 

On the shore there was a fire and breakfast, 
cooked and ready, on the bed of coals; fish 
were all prepared and bread for every one. As 
of old, Jesus came to them, broke the bread 
and fed His tired disciples. 

It was now that He turned to Peter and 
said tenderly, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou 
Me more than these? He saith unto Him, 

456 



THE FIRST EASTER 

Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. 
Jesus saith unto him, Feed My lambs. 

He saith to him again the second time, 
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He 
saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that 
I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My 
sheep. 

He saith unto him the third time, Simon, 
son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was 
grieved because he said unto him the third 
time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto 
Him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou 
knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto 
him, Feed my sheep. 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou 
wast young, thou girdest thyself and walked 
whither thou wouldst; but when thou shalt 
be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and 
another shall gird thee and carry thee whither 
thou wouldst not. 

Many years afterward Peter died a mar- 
tyr's death. 

Each of the eleven disciples (Judas you re- 
member had hanged himself through remorse 
and shame) died, in due time, as a martyr for 

457 



THE STORY BIBLE 

the truth of Christ except John, who lived to 
be a very old, old man and fell asleep at last. 
When John was so old that he could not 
preach or teach he used to stand in the church 
on the Lord's Day and say, Little children 
love one another. He was the best beloved 
and the most loving of the Master's earthly 
friends. 

Jesus was seen many times by many people 
during the forty days after the resurrection. 

By His command, the eleven went to Galilee 
where He had been a Child and met together 
on a mountain top. 

Jesus came to them like a king. His last 
words were a king's: 

All power is given unto Me in heaven and 
on earth. 

Go ye therefore and teach all nations, bap- 
tizing them in the Name of the Father, the 
Son and the Holy Ghost; teaching them to 
observe all things I have commanded you. 
And lo ! I am with you alway, even to the end 
of the world. Amen. 

As he ended these words, while they looked 
into His face, a chariot of golden cloud came 

458 



THE FIRST EASTER 

down and hid Him from their sight. He had 
gone back to heaven to sit at the right hand 
of God. 

The eleven gazed and gazed into the daz- 
zling sky. Presently at their side appeared 
two angels. They had a word of their own. 

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here, look- 
ing up into heaven? Jesus has gone away as 
He told you He would. But one day He will 
come again. 

As often as we carry our Easter flowers to 
church and sing our Easter hymns, we pro- 
claim to all mankind that ours is the Lord who 
both died and rose agajri and returned to His 
glory. 



459 



LVI 
THE BEAUTIFUL GATE 

ALL the disciples who could possibly do 
so spent most of their time in prayer 
when Jesus had left them and gone away to 
heaven. After a time they received from Him 
Who had gone the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
Jesus had told them that the Comforter, the 
Spirit from above, would come to them and 
stay with them when they could see Himself 
no longer. For awhile they were so glad of 
this that they shared their money and their 
homes and spent the whole time in prayer and 
praise. Nobody wanted to own anything. 
Everybody wanted to divide what he had with 
his friends. They were so happy they could 
not think much about common life and daily 
toil. 

Peter and John seldom left each other at 
that time. Whenever you saw one, you were 
apt to see the other. About three o'clock one 
afternoon they went into the Temple to pray. 

460 



THE BEAUTIFUL GATE 

At the Gate called Beautiful there lay a poor 
crippled beggar. He had been lame and mis- 
shapen from his birth, and every day his peo- 
ple carried him and laid him down where those 
who went into the Temple could not help see- 
ing him. He would thrust out his thin hands 
and ask for alms. 

Peter and John came by. They were tall 
strong men, brown with the wind and sun. 
The poor lame beggar held out his twisted 
hand. 

Look on us, said Peter. Look and listen. 

So many people never stopped to speak to 
him! So many never gave the smallest coin! 
The poor beggar's eyes were bright with hope. 

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I 
none. But such as I have, give I thee. In the 
Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and 
walk. 

Peter clasped his hand and lifted him up. 
Instantly the cripple was a cripple no longer. 
He sprang to his feet, he walked, he who had 
never taken a step before; he jumped and 
leaped and praised God. 

Every one saw this miracle. Crowds saw it. 
461 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The Gate called Beautiful was thronged that 
day. The man who had been lame hugged 
Peter and John for joy. He held them fast. 
He would not let them go. 

Then Peter preached a sermon to the crowd 
and told them how Jesus Whom they had 
crucified, the Prince of life Whom they had 
killed, was alive and had done this thing. 
Peter was as bold as a lion. He preached the 
risen Christ, and no fear was in his heart. 

The priests tried to put a stop to the preach- 
ing of Peter and John. They were as full of 
malice as ever, and hated Christ's apostles as 
they had hated Christ. 

They shook their fists at Peter and John 
and drew their robes away and haughtily 
commanded them to be silent about Jesus of 
Nazareth. 

But the apostles were not a bit afraid. They 
said, Whether it be right in the sight of God to 
hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge 
ye. For we cannot but speak the things we 
have seen and heard. 

The priests let them go. They did not dare 
imprison them then or further interfere, for 

462 



THE BEAUTIFUL GATE 

the miracle had been published abroad and the 
man on whom it was wrought, a man forty 
years old, could be seen any day walking about 
and perfectly well. 



463 



LVII 
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA 

I TOLD you about the disciples, in their 
new love for one another, sharing every- 
thing in common. Those who had lands or 
houses sold them and brought the money to 
the apostles, and they distributed it to those 
who had need. Among others, a man named 
Barnabas, who was very much interested in 
helping the poor, sold all his land and gave 
the money to the apostles. Unlike Barnabas, 
a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira 
sold a possession and laid part of the price at 
the apostles' feet; part of it they kept for them- 
selves. They pretended they had given it all 
into the common fund of the Lord's people but 
really, in their hearts, they were deceivers and 
were acting a lie. It is just as bad to act a lie 
as to tell a lie. 

Peter, looking sternly at Ananias, said, Why 
hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy 
Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the 
land? 

464 



ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA 

While it remained was it not thine own, and 
after it was sold, was it not in thine own 
power? Thou hast not lied unto men but unto 
God. 

When Ananias heard these words, he was 
pierced to the heart and fell down dead at the 
feet of Peter. Great fear came on all who saw 
and heard it. The young men arose, carried 
him out and buried him. About three hours 
after this, his wife Sapphira, not knowing what 
had happened to Ananias, came in, and Peter 
said to her, Tell me whether you sold the land 
for so much? Without an instant's hesitation, 
she said, Yes for so much, repeating the same 
lie. 

Then Peter said to her, How is it that ye 
have agreed together against the Spirit of the 
Lord? Behold the feet of them which have 
buried thy husband art at the door and shall 
carry thee out. Then she fell down straight- 
way at his feet and gave up the ghost. And 
the young men came in and found her dead 
and, carrying her forth, buried her by her hus- 
band. 

In every age since then the names of Ana- 
465 



THE STORY BIBLE 

nias and Sapphira have stood as a warning 
against lying and deceit. It is little wonder 
that everybody who heard and saw this dread- 
ful fate of the two deceivers were greatly ter- 
rified. Meanwhile, many signs and wonders 
were wrought by the apostles and people 
brought the sick into the streets and laid them 
on beds and couches that the shadow of Peter 
passing by might fall on them. The high 
priest and the chief priests became filled with 
indignation. They seized Peter and John and 
put them in the common prison. They 
thought they had them safe enough, but the 
angel of the Lord by night opened the prison 
doors and brought them forth and said, Go 
stand and speak in the Temple to the people 
all the words of this life. What Christ 
brought into the world was life. 

Peter and John went to the Temple early in 
the morning and taught just as usual. The 
high priest took his seat upon the chair of 
judgment and called his council together. Of- 
ficers were sent to the prison to bring Peter 
and John to the bar. But directly the officers 
came rushing back in great excitement, say- 

466 



ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA 

ing, The prison truly found we shut with all 
safety and the keepers standing outside the 
doors but, when we had opened, we found no 
man within. The high priest and the captain 
of the Temple turned pale with rage and fright 
and they were the more astonished when some 
one said, Behold the men whom ye put in 
prison are standing in the Temple and teaching 
the people. The captain and the officers 
brought Peter and John from the Temple with- 
out violence, fearing a riot if they treated them 
roughly. The high priest upbraided them, but 
Peter said, We ought to obey God rather than 
men. With the utmost courage Peter told 
them again the story of the resurrection. 
They heard it with fury and at first deter- 
mined to put the apostles to death if they 
could; but a wise man named Gamaliel, a 
doctor of the law, advised them to let the apos- 
tles alone as it was not worth while for men 
to try to fight against God. So they con- 
tented themselves with beating Peter and 
John, who bore the stripes without a murmur, 
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to 
suffer shame for the dear name of Christ. 

467 



LVIII 
THE FIRST MARTYR 

ALREADY the people who loved Jesus 
were beginning to suffer for His sake. 
Such suffering for Christ's sake is called per- 
secution. The apostles, continuing in prayer 
and in teaching, needed other men to help 
them in the care of the poor, the widows 
and the orphans. Among the good men who 
were chosen for this work was one named 
Stephen, a man full of faith and power, who 
did great wonders and miracles among the 
people. Stephen was so good and so true that 
there were wicked men who hated him. They 
dragged him up to the council of the priests 
and set up false witnesses who said many 
things about Stephen which were entirely 
made up by themselves. They declared that 
he had spoken blasphemy of the Temple and 
the law and that he had declared that Jesus 
of Nazareth would destroy Jerusalem and 
change the sacred customs of Moses. All 
who sat in the council looking steadfastly on 
Stephen saw his face shine like the face of an 

468 



THE FIRST MARTYR 

angel. The high priest gave him a little while 
to answer for himself. You may read what he 
said in the seventh chapter of the Book of the 
Acts of the Apostles. Never were braver 
words spoken by any man on earth, but they 
did not help him with his wicked judges. He 
was to be the first of the noble army of mar- 
tyrs, the first to bear witness to his faith unto 
the death. 

When they heard what he said they were 
cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with 
their teeth. 

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked 
up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory 
of God and Jesus standing on the right hand 
of God, 

And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened 
and the Son of Man standing on the right 
hand of God. 

Then they cried out with a loud voice and 
stopped their ears and ran upon him with one 
accord, 

And cast him out of the city and stoned 
him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes 
at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 

469 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And they stoned Stephen. As the stones 
struck him, he called upon God, saying, Lord 
Jesus, receive my spirit. 

And he knelt down, and cried with a loud 
voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. 
And when he had said this he fell asleep. 

Now Saul was consenting to the death of 
Stephen. About this time there was a great 
persecution against the church which was at 
Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered 
abroad throughout the regions of Judea and 
Samaria. Only the apostles remained there to 
preach the word. Others fled everywhere for 
safety from their enemies. 

Devout men carried Stephen to his burial 
and made great lamentation over him. 

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, 
entering into every house, arresting men and 
women and committing them to prison. 



470 



LIX 
THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS. 

THIS Saul who was so furious against 
Christ's disciples did not know it, but 
he was destined to be wholly changed and to 
become the greatest of all the apostles, not 
second even to Peter or John. Thus far, there 
had been no one especially sent to preach the 
gospel of life to the Gentiles. The eleven 
apostles were Jews, and the first converts were 
Hebrews who had early been taught the law 
of God and who accepted Jesus Christ as the 
real Messiah. All the other people in the 
world were called Gentiles, and most of them 
were idolaters. Saul was a young man of 
noble family and fine education, a Hebrew by 
birth who had been taught in the school of the 
Pharisees and was a Pharisee himself. He 
was a native of the city of Tarsus in Cilicia 
and was, although a Hebrew, entitled to all 
the privileges of a Roman, his father having 
had those privileges before him. Saul thought 

47i 



THE STORY BIBLE 

he was doing right when he persecuted the 
church. Not satisfied with doing this in Jeru- 
salem, he went to the high priest and asked 
to be sent with letters to Damascus so that, if 
he found any Christians there, he might bring 
them bound to Jerusalem. As yet the disciples 
had not received the name Christian. That 
name was given to them a little later at a place 
called Antioch. As Saul journeyed along the 
Damascus road, toward the oldest city in the 
world, a city of white roofs and silver shining 
towers with roses running over its walls, he 
suddenly saw around him a light from heaven. 
It was a blazing, burning light, more dazzling 
than the midday sun and, as it wrapped him 
round, he fell to the earth. Lying there he 
heard a voice calling to him from the sky, Saul, 
Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And he said, 
Who art thou, Lord? 

And the Lord said, I am Jesus, Whom thou 
persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against 
the pricks. 

Then Saul, trembling and astonished, said, 
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? 

The Lord said to him, Arise, and go into 
472 



THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS. 

the city, and it shall be told thee what thou 
must do. 

The men who journeyed with Saul stood 
around him speechless. They heard the voice, 
but they saw no man. 

Saul arose from the earth, but his eyes had 
been blinded by the flaming light and his com- 
panions led him helpless by the hand into 
Damascus, where for three days and nights 
he fasted. 

Of all the stories in the Bible, not one is 
more remarkable than this. Here was a man 
on his way to kill Christ's people with fury in 
his heart. He was stopped by a vision of 
Christ looking down on him out of the radiant 
sky; by the voice of Christ calling him by 
name. Jesus had said that, whatever was done 
against one of his little ones was done against 
him, so He said not, Why dost thou persecute 
My people? but, Why dost thou persecute Me? 

As Saul sat in the darkness in Damascus, 
the Lord sent to him one of His disciples to 
whom, in a vision, this was said : Arise, and go 
into the street which is called Strait, and in- 
quire in the house of Judas for one called Saul 

473 



THE STORY BIBLE 

of Tarsus; for, behold, he prayeth and hath 
seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming 
in and putting his hand on him that he may 
receive his sight. Ananias did not want to go 
on this errand. He said, Why, Lord, this man 
is a great enemy of Thine and has done much 
evil to Thy saints at Jerusalem. He has come 
to Damascus with authority from the chief 
priests to ill-treat all Thy friends. But the 
Lord said, Nevertheless, go thy way. For he 
is a chosen vessel unto Me to bear My name 
before Gentiles and kings and the children of 
Israel, for I will show him what great things 
he must suffer for My name's sake. 

So Ananias went his way and found the 
house and, putting his hands on Saul, said, 
Brother, the Lord, even Jesus that appeared 
unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent 
me that thou mightest receive thy sight and 
be filled with the Holy Ghost. 

Immediately the blind eyes received sight. 
Saul arose and was baptized. 

Soon after this Saul's name was changed to 
Paul. You may read all his story in the Book 
of Acts of the Apostles. He was the first great 

474 



THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS. 

foreign missionary who ever went from the 
home land to preach the gospel to the heathen. 
He was often very badly treated, beaten and 
put in prison, but he never ceased to tell the 
story of Jesus Whom he had seen looking down 
at him out of the sky. At last, when in great 
danger of his life, he appealed to Caesar. He 
had a right to do this because, although of a 
Jewish family, his father was a Roman cit- 
izen and Paul was free born. Sometimes men 
who had been born in slavery were set free 
and made citizens of Rome, and sometimes 
strangers were given citizenship as a reward 
for doing services to the Empire. But Paul 
was born a subject of Rome. Having appealed 
to the Emperor, when he was tried on false 
charges before Festus and King Agrippa, they 
sent him to Rome. Festus was the Roman 
Governor at Caesarea. 



475 



LX 
PETER DELIVERED. 

IN the days when Peter had gone up and 
down the Holy Land with the Master and 
had seen Him healing the sick, he had not 
dreamed that he would one day do the same 
thing. But the ministry of Peter was one of 
great kindness to the sick, and it even hap- 
pened that Jesus allowed him to bring to life 
one who was dead. At a place called Lydda 
Peter found a man named Eneas who had 
been eight years prostrate on his bed, shaking 
with the palsy. Peter said to him, Eneas, 
Jesus Christ hath made thee whole. Arise, and 
make thy bed. Eneas was well from that in- 
stant. 

There dwelt at Joppa a certain disciple 
named Dorcas; this woman was full of good 
works and almsdeeds which she did. 

It came to pass in those days Dorcas was 
very ill and died; her body was laid on a bed 
in an upper room. Then they sent for Peter. 
Knowing that they were grieving for Dorcas 
Peter came at once. They brought him into 
the upper chamber; and many poor widows 

476 



PETER DELIVERED. 

stood by him weeping and showing the coats 
and garments that Dorcas had made while she 
was with them. 

But Peter put them all forth and kneeling 
down prayed; and, turning him to the body, 
said, Sister, arise. And she opened her eyes; 
and when she saw Peter she sat up. 

Peter gave her his hand and lifted her up 
and, when he had called the saints and widows, 
presented her alive. 

And it was known throughout all Joppa; 
and many believed in the Lord. 

After this he tarried many days in Joppa 
with one Simon a tanner. Up to this time Peter 
had been rather narrow and exclusive, and had 
looked down from a lofty height on all who 
were not Jews. But God spoke to him in a 
vision and showed him that he must call no 
one common or unclean. From that time, he 
began working with greater earnestness than 
ever for all mankind. And when Herod the 
King, wicked as all the Herods were, deter- 
mined to vex the church, he fixed his eyes on 
Peter. He had already killed James, the 
brother of John, with the sword. As Peter 

477 



THE STORY BIBLE 

was very unpopular with the Jews, on account 
of his new attitude to the Gentiles, Herod 
thought it would please them if he could also 
kill him. Now came one of those wonderful 
ways in which the Lord sometimes delivers his 
people. Dear children, he can deliver us as 
easily now, if we are in trouble or danger, as 
he did Peter. This is the story. When Herod 
had apprehended Peter, he put him in prison 
and delivered him to four bands of soldiers who 
were to guard him in turn. Herod planned 
after Easter to bring him forth to the people. 

Peter therefore was kept in prison; but 
prayer was made without ceasing by the 
church to God for him. 

And when Herod would have brought him 
forth for execution, the same night Peter was 
sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two 
chains; and the keepers before the door kept 
the prison. 

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came 
upon him, and a light shone in the prison; and 
he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, 
saying, Arise quickly. And his chains fell off 
his hands. 

478 



PETER DELIVERED. 

And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, 
and bind on thy sandals; and so he did. And 
he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about 
thee, and follow me. 

And Peter went out, and followed him; and 
knew not that it was true and real, but thought 
he was in a dream. 

When they were past the first and the sec- 
ond ward, they came unto the iron gate that 
led unto the city; which opened to them of its 
own accord; and they went out, and passed 
on through one street; and forthwith the angel 
departed from him. 

And when Peter was come to himself, he 
said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord 
hath sent his angel and hath delivered me out 
of the hand of Herod and from all the expecta- 
tion of the people of the Jews. 

And when he had considered the thing, he 
went to the house of Mary the mother of John, 
whose surname was Mark; where many were 
gathered together praying. And as Peter 
knocked at the door of the house, a young girl 
came to listen, named Rhoda. And when she 
knew Peter's voice, she was too glad to open 

479 



THE STORY BIBLE 

the gate, and ran in and told that Peter stood 
before it. 

Thou art mad, declared those in the house. 
But she constantly insisted that Peter was 
there. Then they said, It is his spirit. But 
Peter continued knocking ; and when they had 
opened the door, and saw him, they were as- 
tonished. 

But he, beckoning unto them with the hand 
to hold their peace, declared unto them how 
the Lord had brought him out of the prison. 
And he said, Go tell these things unto James, 
and to the brethren. And he departed, and 
went to another place. 

Just as soon as it was day, there was no 
small stir among the soldiers, to discover what 
had become of Peter. It was no small matter 
to them. 

When Herod had sought for him, and found 
him not, he examined the keepers, and com- 
manded that they should be put to death. 
Then Herod went down from Judea to Cesarea, 
and there abode. 

Notice that there were two apostles named 
James; one was still living at this time. 

480 



LXI 

A STORM AND WRECK. 

ON the way to Rome in a little ship, Paul 
was in great danger. He was one of a 
number of prisoners. They were all guarded 
by a band of Roman soldiers, commanded by 
a centurion whose name was Julius. Before 
long Julius found out that Paul could be 
trusted and, when the ship touched at Sidon, 
he allowed him to go ashore and visit his 
friends. 

The sea was smooth when they started but 
in a few hours the wind rose and the waves 
ran mountains high. When they came near a 
place called Fair Haven, Paul, who had more 
knowledge of what was best to do than any- 
body else on board, went to the centurion and 
told him that he felt sure there was going to 
be a good deal of wild weather and great dam- 
age to the ship, as well as peril to the lives 
of all on board. The owner of the ship and 
the sailing master laughed at this as the advice 

481 



THE STORY BIBLE 

of a landsman and kept right on with the voy- 
age. In the end it resulted, after a very long 
time of distress and hunger and the loss of all 
the freight, in their being cast on the little 
island of Malta. You may find this island 
on the map of Europe. The people on it we're 
barbarians, but they came running down to 
the shore and were as kind as kind could be 
to the poor shipwrecked throng. All told, that 
ship had carried two hundred and seventy-six 
men, so that it was a great crowd of cold and 
hungry people who stood shivering on the 
beach. The island people made haste and kin- 
dled a fire, bringing out food and showing the 
greatest pity for the worn out mariners. Paul 
was helping to make the fire when a viper that 
had been asleep in the cold, crawled out, 
warmed to life by the heat, and fastened itself 
on his hand. The island people stood still, ex- 
pecting him to fall down dead. They sup- 
posed that he had committed some crime, had 
been a robber or a murderer and that, though 
he had escaped the sea, the gods had sent this 
viper to kill him. When he shook off the 
poisonous snake into the fire and went about 

482 



A STORM AND WRECK. 

as usual and nothing happened, they changed 
their minds and were ready to worship him as 
a god. 

After some delay, Paul reached the great 
city of Rome. Here he was a prisoner more 
than two years in his own hired house. A 
sentry paced up and down before it, and he 
could not go out unless a soldier went with 
him; but his friends came to see him and he 
could write letters to the men he loved in other 
places. Paul wrote wonderful letters, full of 
love and sweetness. You may read in the New 
Testament his letters to the different churches. 
When you are older you will understand them 
and, even now, there are a great many verses 
in them which children should learn and lay 
up in their memories. 

Paul had many friends; some of them were 
poor and ignorant, some were scholars, some 
noble men and women who were in the palace 
of Caesar. Though Rome was a heathen city, 
there were in it many Christians, and thou- 
sands of them during the first three hundred 
years after Christ, laid down their lives. Some 
were thrown to the lions, others perished in 

483 



THE STORY BIBLE 

dungeons, others were burned and some were 
beheaded. This last fate befell the greatest of 
all the apostles; Paul ended his life as a mar- 
tyr for Christ. He did it with joy. He said, a 
little while before his death : I am now ready to 
be offered, and the time of my departure is at 
hand. I have fought a good fight, I have fin- 
ished my course, I have kept the faith. Hence- 
forth there is laid up for me a crown of 
righteousness which the Lord, the righteous 
judge, shall give me at that day. And not to 
me only, but unto all them also that love his 
appearing. 

Paul was brought during his imprisonment 
into the presence of the Emperor Nero, of all 
the wicked Roman Emperors the most re- 
nowned for wickedness and cruelty. 

When he said, The Lord, the righteous 
judge, he was comparing Nero who was so 
unjust and unrighteous with the Lord who 
was to judge him at last. He was twice 
brought before Nero. Of the first trial he 
said, No man stood with me, but all forsook 
me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their 
charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with 

484 



A STORM AND WRECK. 

me and strengthened me and I was delivered 
out of the mouth of the lion. 

Many a noble head has fallen under the 
sharp axe of the executioner. As you study 
history you will find that many good men and 
true have perished through the injustice of 
tyrants. Never fell a nobler or a greater man 
than Paul, the apostle. Though his body 
perished, his life to this day is a force in the 
life of the world. It will continue to be so until 
the end of time. 



485 



LXII 

A VISION OF HEAVEN 

"VVTHEN John, the disciple whose head had 
W been pillowed on Jesus' breast, was an 
old, old man, he was made a prisoner for 
Christ's sake and shut up on the lonely island 
of Patmos. On this island, one Lord's Day, 
he had a vision of heaven. More than that, he 
had a vision of Jesus. The One Who had been 
crucified stood in glory, clothed with a white 
garment down to the feet and girt with a 
golden girdle. Around him were seven golden 
candlesticks, His eyes were as a flame of fire, 
His radiant feet were like fine brass, as if they 
burned in a furnace; His voice was as the 
sound of many waters; in His right hand were 
seven stars; and His countenance was as the 
sun shining in his strength. When John saw 
Him, he fell at His feet as dead. But the 
glorious One laid his right hand upon His 
servant, saying, Fear not. I am the first and 
the last, I am He that liveth and was dead and, 

486 



A VISION OF HEAVEN 

behold, I am alive forevermore and have the 
keys of Hell and of Death. 

Through John, the Lord Who spoke from 
heaven sent messages to the churches then 
in the world; messages meant just as much for 
you and me as for them. He said, Behold I 
stand at the door and knock. If any man hear 
my voice and open the door, I will come in unto 
him and will sup with him and he with me. 

He said, He that overcometh and keepeth 
My works until the end, to him will I give 
power over the nations. To him that over- 
cometh I will give to eat of the hidden manna, 
and will give him a white stone, and in the 
stone a new name written which no man 
knoweth except him that receiveth it. He gave 
many other promises through John to those 
who are faithful and overcome temptation. 

From that lonely island John saw wonder- 
ful things in heaven. He heard the angels 
singing, Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive 
glory and honor and power. 

He heard one saying, Who are these that 
are arrayed in white robes? and whence come 
they? 

487 



THE STORY BIBLE 

The answer was, These are they which came 
out of great tribulation and have washed their 
robes and made them white in the blood of the 
Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne 
of God and serve Him day and night in His 
Temple, and He that sitteth on the throne shall 
dwell among them. They shall hunger no 
more, neither thirst any more, neither shall 
the sun fall on them, nor any heat. For the 
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall 
feed them and shall lead them unto living 
fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away 
all tears from their eyes. 

The most beautiful thing that John saw was 
the Holy City, with its great gates of gleam- 
ing pearls; the wall of the city of jasper and 
the city all of pure gold like transparent glass, 
He saw no Temple there, for the Lord God 
Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it. 
And the city had no need of the sun, neither 
of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God 
did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof. 

On those golden streets and in those 
heavenly gardens, walk those who have gone 
beyond death and live forevermore in great 

488 



A VISION OF HEAVEN 

happiness and perfect purity in the presence 
of God. In those heavenly gardens no flowers 
wither. There stands the Tree of Life and 
there flows the River of Life clear as crystal. 
They need no candle there, neither light of the 
sun, for the Lord God giveth them light. 

Best of all we are told that there God's serv- 
ants shall serve Him. In the heavenly land 
there shall be love and joy and work and rest 
and no parting, nor pain, nor sin, nor death. 

The Book began in the Garden of Eden. It 
ends in the Garden of Heaven, where forever- 
more all shall dwell who love the Lord and 
keep His words. 

Bernard of Clugny has sung for us a song 
of the celestial country: 

Arise, arise, good Christian, 

Let right to wrong succeed; 
Let penitential sorrow 

To heavenly gladness lead, 
To the light that hath no evening, 

That knows no moon nor sun, 
The light so new and golden, 

The light that is but one. 
489 



THE STORY BIBLE 

And now we fight the battle, 

But then shall wear the crown 
Of full and everlasting 

And passionless renown. 
But He Whom now we trust in 

Shall then be seen and known, 
And they that know and see Him 

Shall have Him for their own. 

THE END. 



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